GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd Invests $361.84 Million in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,099,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $361,839,000. Waters comprises about 4.7% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd owned 1.86% of Waters at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in Waters by 3.6% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,953 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,729,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 2.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 8,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,406,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 10.3% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $614,000. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $288,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock traded up $9.71 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $358.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 344,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 423,810. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $21.30 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a P/E/G ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $333.40 and a 200-day moving average of $314.16. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.49 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $305.78.

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.

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