Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.

Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 47.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,268 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,889 shares during the period. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,410,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,586,653,000 after buying an additional 138,511 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 31.0% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after acquiring an additional 950,687 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Waters by 1.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after purchasing an additional 37,763 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Waters by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,552,399 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $539,606,000 after purchasing an additional 42,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $266,384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock opened at $385.31 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.41, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $369.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $333.65.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. On average, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Rothschild Redb upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $392.19.

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.