Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 262.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 724 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. London Co. of Virginia acquired a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $158,723,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Waters by 129.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 973,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $322,017,000 after purchasing an additional 550,112 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at $78,017,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,895 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $228,388,000 after buying an additional 212,754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,369,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. TD Cowen raised their price target on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $306.70.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $336.42 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $332.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $311.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market capitalization of $19.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a P/E/G ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.98. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $231.90 and a 12 month high of $363.80.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a net margin of 21.72% and a return on equity of 81.30%. The company had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate 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.