Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Holdings Decreased by World Investment Advisors LLC

World Investment Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,518 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.4% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waters by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in Waters by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $482,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its position in Waters by 0.4% in the second quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 7,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,275,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 3.2% in the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Cfra set a $389.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $375.85.

Waters Stock Down 1.2 %

WAT opened at $378.26 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 company has a market capitalization of $22.46 billion, a PE ratio of 36.09, a P/E/G ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $366.04 and its 200-day moving average is $336.11. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $397.02.

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

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.