Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 42.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,337 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in Waters during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 11,000.0% during the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 111 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its stake in Waters by 94.9% during the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 115 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Waters by 55.3% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $304.18 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $363.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 6.24 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a fifty day moving average of $337.07 and a 200 day moving average of $305.46.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $815.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.84 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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 boosted 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $298.67.

Waters 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.