Trillium Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 17.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,109 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 657 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Waters stock traded down $4.56 during trading on Friday, hitting $355.95. The stock had a trading volume of 387,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 483,144. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $231.90 and a 12 month high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $333.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $315.64. The stock has a market cap of $21.11 billion, a PE ratio of 34.93, a PEG ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.98.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The business had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WAT. Barclays decreased their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $305.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total transaction of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total transaction of $177,770.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

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.