Mather Group LLC. Grows Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mather Group LLC. increased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,556 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID raised its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID now owns 11,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,776,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC grew its stake in Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Waters by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. now owns 10,819 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,724,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $310.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

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

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $330.97. 65,922 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 451,196. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21. The business’s 50-day moving average is $303.81 and its 200-day moving average is $322.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $709.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.09 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.6 EPS for the current fiscal 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.