Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $11.87 Million Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,055 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,063 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.06% of Waters worth $11,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Waters by 31.7% during the fourth quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 6,025 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,984,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Waters by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 21,130 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,957,000 after purchasing an additional 5,832 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in Waters by 125.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 221 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc increased its position in Waters by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 229,398 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $75,525,000 after purchasing an additional 27,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $298.67.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT traded up $15.72 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $314.95. 271,153 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 405,672. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $335.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.34. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $231.90 and a 12 month high of $363.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by $0.06. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. The company had revenue of $819.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $815.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.84 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.