Advisory Alpha LLC Makes New $363,000 Investment in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Advisory Alpha LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,055 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $363,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in Waters during the first quarter worth $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Waters news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total transaction of $1,446,560.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE WAT traded up $5.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $307.27. 28,242 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 445,996. The company’s 50-day moving average is $312.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $321.78. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.94. The company has a market capitalization of $18.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.95.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on WAT. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $301.20.

Waters Company 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.