Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC lowered its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 83.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,231 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,224 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WAT. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 7,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $382.58 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $365.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $335.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $397.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.14 and a beta of 1.01.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The company’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.84 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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. Barclays increased their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Cfra set a $389.00 target price on Waters in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $371.33.

Waters Company 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.