Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Clean Yield Group

Clean Yield Group decreased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Clean Yield Group’s holdings in Waters were worth $326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,439,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $384.71.

Waters Price Performance

WAT traded up $17.67 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $398.02. 312,319 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 363,050. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $376.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.63 billion, a PE ratio of 37.98, a P/E/G ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $401.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

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

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.