Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Fundsmith LLP

Fundsmith LLP trimmed its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,634,522 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 11,477 shares during the quarter. Waters makes up 5.7% of Fundsmith LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Fundsmith LLP owned 6.12% of Waters worth $1,348,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of WAT stock traded down $7.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $343.73. The company had a trading volume of 355,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 475,465. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $20.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $349.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $370.42.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The business had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WAT. KeyCorp raised Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Barclays dropped their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.

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.