Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 5,832 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 38.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 21,130 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 5,832 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Waters were worth $6,957,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Waters by 55.3% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $298.67.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $310.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.22. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $231.90 and a 52-week high of $363.80. The firm has a market cap of $18.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.59, a PEG ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s fifty day moving average is $335.35 and its 200 day moving average is $306.69.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $819.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $815.50 million. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.84 EPS. Research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Waters 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.