Czech National Bank Raises Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,403 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 300.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its position in shares of Waters by 186.3% during the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $290.27 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $17.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $318.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The company had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.57 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.49 earnings per share. Waters’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares in the company, valued at $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Waters news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares in the company, valued at $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.20.

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.