River Global Investors LLP Cuts Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

River Global Investors LLP decreased its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 21.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,674 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,866 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises about 1.6% of River Global Investors LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. River Global Investors LLP’s holdings in Waters were worth $8,031,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 966 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $392.34 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $390.27 and a 200 day moving average of $368.33. The company has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a PE ratio of 36.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $391.07.

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.