Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,808 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 42 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $10,106,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 67.5% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 10,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,574,000 after buying an additional 4,184 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Waters by 96.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 868 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 61.6% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,267,000 after acquiring an additional 2,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 48.1% during the 1st quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 8,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,081,000 after acquiring an additional 2,908 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $358.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.20, a PEG ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 0.97. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $258.89 and a 1-year high of $393.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $350.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $330.58.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The business had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.85.

Waters 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.