Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Sells 42,175 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 31.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,556 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 42,175 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $30,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. London Co. of Virginia acquired a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $158,723,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Waters by 129.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 973,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $322,017,000 after purchasing an additional 550,112 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $78,017,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,895 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $228,388,000 after purchasing an additional 212,754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,369,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were 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 owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waters Price Performance

WAT traded up $3.79 during trading on Monday, hitting $315.09. 313,991 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 407,871. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $334.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.57. The company has a market cap of $18.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.69, a PEG ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.92. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $363.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

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. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.