Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,477 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,696,000.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in Waters by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 181 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC boosted its position in Waters by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 2,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in Waters by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waters by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in Waters by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 6,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,166,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 90.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $288.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Waters from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $319.13.
Insider Buying and Selling at Waters
In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.48, for a total value of $1,165,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,192,065.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.
Waters Stock Up 0.8 %
NYSE:WAT opened at $273.37 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $248.18 and a 12-month high of $353.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $274.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.93.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.21. Waters had a return on equity of 124.03% and a net margin of 22.54%. The firm had revenue of $740.58 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $733.51 million. Equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.24 earnings per share for the current year.
About Waters
Waters Corporation, a specialty measurement company, 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.
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