Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 76,044 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 36.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 130,703 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 76,044 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned 0.22% of Waters worth $43,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 300.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its position in shares of Waters by 186.3% in the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Waters Stock Down 1.6 %

WAT stock opened at $289.65 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $231.90 and a 12 month high of $367.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $318.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $323.94.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.57 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.20.

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.