2,921 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Purchased by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,921 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $361,839,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Waters by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,092,459 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $299,563,000 after purchasing an additional 32,059 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Waters by 129.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 973,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $322,017,000 after purchasing an additional 550,112 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Waters by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,895 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $228,388,000 after acquiring an additional 212,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,286,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Waters stock traded down $0.57 during trading on Friday, hitting $294.94. 251,821 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 510,006. The stock has a market cap of $17.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $322.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $323.94. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays dropped their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total transaction of $1,446,560.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,321,894.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.