Sei Investments Co. Sells 2,814 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Sei Investments Co. reduced its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,814 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,361,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 81,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,386,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $229,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 477,144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $171,719,000 after buying an additional 17,185 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. bought a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $267,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.40.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $361.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $387.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $372.60. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

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.