Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd cut its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 808,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 108,605 shares during the quarter. Waters makes up approximately 4.8% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd owned approximately 1.36% of Waters worth $300,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Waters by 129.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $365.75 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $390.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $371.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a PE ratio of 34.15, 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.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $391.07.

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.