Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Exchange Traded Concepts LLC

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC reduced its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 463 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 68 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in Waters by 63.2% during the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $72,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $415.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $386.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.39.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $384.71.

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.