Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 14,486 Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Bessemer Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 70.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 14,486 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in Waters were worth $2,191,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 85.7% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares during the period. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $75,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,864 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $9,966,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $352.28 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $347.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $365.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.21 EPS. The business's revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $388.00.

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.

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