Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV Cuts Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV trimmed its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,385 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 136 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its stake in Waters by 186.3% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 0.6 %

WAT stock traded up $1.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $330.69. 278,662 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 452,991. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $303.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $322.13. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $231.90 and a 52-week high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.62 billion, a PE ratio of 33.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Waters news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $550,283.70. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays raised their price target on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.58.

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.