abrdn plc Raises Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

abrdn plc lifted its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 229,398 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 27,547 shares during the period. abrdn plc owned about 0.39% of Waters worth $75,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in 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. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 94.9% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 115 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Barclays upped 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $298.67.

Waters Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Waters stock traded up $1.87 on Friday, hitting $296.10. 466,327 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 340,392. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $363.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $335.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.11. The company has a market capitalization of $17.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Insider Activity at Waters

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total transaction of $177,770.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.