Ethic Inc. Sells 4,352 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Ethic Inc. trimmed its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,823 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,352 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Waters by 65.4% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter worth about $53,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 533.3% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report 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. Finally, Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $392.19.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $381.97 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $381.61 and a 200-day moving average of $337.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. The company 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.