BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Buys 1,087 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 71.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Waters were worth $895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $361,839,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $206,286,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Waters by 129.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 973,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $322,017,000 after acquiring an additional 550,112 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 356.0% during the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 419,363 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $138,067,000 after purchasing an additional 327,389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 215.7% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 425,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $139,995,000 after purchasing an additional 290,511 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $301.20.

Waters Trading Up 0.9 %

Waters stock traded up $2.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $285.62. The company had a trading volume of 51,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 446,590. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $313.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $322.16. The firm has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.95. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,321,894.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

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.