Family Firm Inc. Takes Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $90,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 190.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 19,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Waters stock traded up $6.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $342.42. 157,175 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 439,980. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $311.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $323.72. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $367.21. The stock has a market cap of $20.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.10.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The company had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.09 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard H. Fearon bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares in the company, valued at $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WAT. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. SVB Leerink upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $310.58.

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.