Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 49 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,413 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 55.3% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WAT. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $298.67.

Insider Activity at Waters

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $311.30 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $363.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $334.78 and its 200 day moving average is $307.28. 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 stock has a market cap of $18.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.92.

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