Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 96,196 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Voya Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 38.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 155,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 96,196 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $46,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Waters by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,055 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 13.1% in the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waters by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on WAT shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $392.19.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $377.71 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $373.48 and its 200 day moving average is $334.58. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.72, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.16.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The business had revenue of $608.55 million during the quarter. Research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.