UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,605 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,550 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd owned approximately 0.06% of Waters worth $12,256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $301.20.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $6.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $300.83. 341,699 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 445,099. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $307.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $320.84. The stock has a market cap of $17.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.95. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $231.90 and a 1 year high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.94.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Richard H. Fearon bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.