Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $6.96 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 38.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Waters by 55.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $310.25 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $363.80. The company has a market cap of $18.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.59, a P/E/G ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $335.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $306.69.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $815.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.84 EPS. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on WAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays increased their target price on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $298.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waters Company 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.