Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Bank of Stockton

Bank of Stockton lowered its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Waters were worth $872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,849,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 38,282 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,202,000 after purchasing an additional 10,333 shares during the period. Parthenon LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 32,881 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,198,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $380.94 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $22.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $388.93 and a 200-day moving average of $365.29. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $390.40.

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.