Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Lowers Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC decreased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 54 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 17.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 81,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,386,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $229,000. Financial Counselors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $267,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of Waters by 13.2% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $928,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $368.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $386.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $373.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on WAT. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $396.00 to $407.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.31.

About Waters

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.