First Hawaiian Bank Sells 1,103 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

First Hawaiian Bank lessened its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 40.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,103 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in Waters were worth $564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $361,839,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,286,000. London Co. of Virginia bought a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $158,723,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Waters by 129.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 550,112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 356.0% in the fourth quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 419,363 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $138,067,000 after purchasing an additional 327,389 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WAT. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard H. Fearon bought 1,000 shares of the 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 acquisition, the director now owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now owns 1,653 shares in the company, valued at $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $290.27 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $318.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $323.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $17.22 billion, a PE ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.97. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.85 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.