KBC Group NV Trims Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

KBC Group NV lessened its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 635 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its stake in Waters by 2.4% in the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Waters by 3.8% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Waters by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $482,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE WAT opened at $415.66 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.68 billion, a PE ratio of 39.66, a PEG ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The business’s 50-day moving average is $386.96 and its 200 day moving average is $358.09.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Cfra set a $389.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $384.71.

Waters Profile

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.