Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Stock Position Lessened by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,890 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Waters were worth $951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. London Co. of Virginia bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth about $158,723,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Waters by 129.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 973,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $322,017,000 after purchasing an additional 550,112 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $78,017,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 34.3% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,895 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $228,388,000 after buying an additional 212,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fenimore Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth approximately $50,897,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $308.35 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $363.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $335.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.70.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.06. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. The business had revenue of $819.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $815.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $298.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total transaction of $177,770.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

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.