Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Has $2.55 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC lessened its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 92 shares during the quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 190.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in Waters by 19,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on WAT shares. Leerink Partnrs raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen increased their target price on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays increased their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. 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 report on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $342.58.

Waters Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Waters stock traded down $4.02 on Monday, reaching $344.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 125,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,880. The company has a market capitalization of $20.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.71, a P/E/G ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $342.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $325.07. 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 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.09 million. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

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.