Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lowered its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 12.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,897 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,442 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 190.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 19,900.0% during the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen raised their price target on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.85.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $387.00 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $22.98 billion, a PE ratio of 36.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $395.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $360.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $333.41.

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