Wesleyan Assurance Society Reduces Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Wesleyan Assurance Society decreased its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 16.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,180 shares during the quarter. Wesleyan Assurance Society's holdings in Waters were worth $4,050,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Waters by 118.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank reissued a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $465.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. KeyCorp raised shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $381.94.

Waters Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded up $2.86 during trading on Thursday, reaching $298.49. 624,060 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 581,607. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.10. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $279.61 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's fifty day moving average is $341.32 and its 200-day moving average is $359.66.

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

Waters 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.