Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Sells 155 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund decreased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 8.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,758 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 155 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Waters were worth $633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 1.1% in the first quarter. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 1,110,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $382,404,000 after buying an additional 11,851 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Waters by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 659,539 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $219,811,000 after acquiring an additional 6,647 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 70.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,095,000 after purchasing an additional 271,804 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 448,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $130,053,000 after buying an additional 77,951 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 34.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 393,890 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $141,757,000 after buying an additional 100,811 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waters to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Cfra set a $389.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $365.85.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $355.47 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.92, a PEG ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $351.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $330.97. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $258.89 and a 52 week high of $393.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The company had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $712.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.