Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC lessened its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,954 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,315 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.06% of Waters worth $13,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $356.90. The company had a trading volume of 91,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 478,038. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $21.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. The business's 50 day moving average price is $343.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $369.98. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56.

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