Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,475 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,919 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $14,414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Waters by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given 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 $391.07.

Waters Trading Down 1.4 %

WAT opened at $368.21 on Wednesday. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $389.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $372.13. The firm has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

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

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.