Metis Global Partners LLC Has $1.97 Million Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,471 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 190.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 19,900.0% in the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Down 4.8 %

Waters stock opened at $358.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.20, a PEG ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $350.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $330.43. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $258.89 and a fifty-two week high of $393.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The business had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $712.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.84 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Leerink Partnrs raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $365.85.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans.