Swedbank AB Makes New $10.11 Million Investment in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 29,359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $10,106,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 186.3% during the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, 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 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 approximately $5,321,894.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $310.58.

Waters Trading Down 1.9 %

Waters stock traded down $6.87 during trading on Friday, hitting $345.66. The company had a trading volume of 695,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 446,807. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $231.90 and a 1-year high of $367.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $303.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $321.77. The stock has a market cap of $20.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.