Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Cuts Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lessened its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,686 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,656 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Waters were worth $6,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new position in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 11,000.0% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 111 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 55.3% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT traded down $3.07 on Monday, hitting $319.59. 309,243 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 400,268. The company has a market capitalization of $18.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.87, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The business's 50 day moving average price is $337.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.88. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $231.90 and a 52-week high of $363.80.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $819.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $815.50 million. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. Waters's quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $298.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

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.