Nomura Holdings Inc. Buys New Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 1,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $392,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 186.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $290.27 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $231.90 and a 52-week high of $367.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market cap of $17.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50 day moving average is $318.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.22.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. Analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.20.

Insider Transactions at Waters

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

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.