Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $9.08 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 42.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 18,059 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Waters were worth $9,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. United Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $328,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 38,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,443,000 after acquiring an additional 12,634 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $544,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 3,081.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 350 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $390.19.

Waters Price Performance

WAT traded down $6.65 during trading on Friday, hitting $348.65. 869,104 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 515,689. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $343.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $369.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $20.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The business had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $655.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.21 EPS. Waters's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.