Nomura Holdings Inc. Acquires New Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $392,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 300.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its position in Waters by 186.3% during the 4th 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.20.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $290.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $318.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.22. The stock has a market cap of $17.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.97. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released 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. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly 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 available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters 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 completion of the transaction, 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

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.