Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Has $38.63 Million Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI trimmed its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,815 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,489 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises about 3.1% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI owned 0.18% of Waters worth $38,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in 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 last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in Waters by 5,200.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of WAT stock traded down $6.99 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $340.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 322,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 473,141. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $343.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $367.49. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Baird R W raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $390.19.

Waters Company 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.