Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 43.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,714 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,301 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Waters were worth $632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Waters by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,098,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,633,464,000 after buying an additional 19,456 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in Waters by 106,144.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,145,386,000 after buying an additional 3,084,555 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Waters by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,654,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $984,582,000 after buying an additional 212,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Waters by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,451,445 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $537,053,000 after buying an additional 34,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Waters by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 889,306 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $329,911,000 after buying an additional 3,713 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.
Waters Price Performance
Shares of WAT stock traded down $2.63 during trading on Friday, hitting $352.28. The company had a trading volume of 807,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,206. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $347.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $365.02. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56.
Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $655.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group decreased their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Baird R W raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. 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 data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $388.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WAT
Waters Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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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