Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Sells 69 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC decreased its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,171 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 69 shares during the quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,468,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Waters by 300.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 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 owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.20.

Waters Price Performance

WAT traded up $2.32 during trading on Monday, hitting $292.59. 62,386 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 446,845. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $318.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $324.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $367.21. The company has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.97.

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 business had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.49 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters 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 owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.