Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co trimmed its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 11.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 449 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 48,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,172,000 after purchasing an additional 16,914 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its stake in Waters by 24.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,171,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Waters by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 18,234 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,000,000 after buying an additional 3,698 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 5,483 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,503,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.5% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $282.70 on Tuesday. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $16.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $316.26 and a 200-day moving average of $323.85.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.57 million. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. 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 report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $305.20.

About Waters

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.