Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by London Co. of Virginia

London Co. of Virginia lessened its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 616,371 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,421 shares during the quarter. London Co. of Virginia owned 1.04% of Waters worth $228,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Waters by 34.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,579,000 after acquiring an additional 41,339 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,774 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,358,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth $203,000. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Waters by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 12,874 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,776,000 after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. StockNews.com cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Ten investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $390.19.

Waters Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE WAT traded up $5.97 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $351.35. 533,250 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 477,606. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $347.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $370.47. 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 company has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. 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 previous 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 expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.