Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 31.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,025 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,984,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Waters by 55.3% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $299.23 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.22. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $335.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $306.34. The company has a market cap of $17.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.92. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $363.80.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $298.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total transaction of $177,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.