Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Bank of Stockton

Bank of Stockton reduced its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Waters were worth $872,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth $1,849,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Waters by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 38,282 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,202,000 after buying an additional 10,333 shares during the period. Parthenon LLC increased its position in Waters by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 32,881 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,198,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Waters by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of WAT stock opened at $380.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $388.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $365.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $390.40.

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.