Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 25,238 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 89.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,825 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 25,238 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Waters were worth $972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 300.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:WAT traded down $2.37 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $351.65. The company had a trading volume of 361,073 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,333. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $333.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $318.11. The company has a market capitalization of $20.86 billion, a PE ratio of 34.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 0.98. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $231.90 and a 52 week high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. 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 company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $305.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company'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 sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Waters

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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