Virtu Financial LLC Takes $962,000 Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,921 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG increased its holdings in Waters by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 322,542 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $106,191,000 after acquiring an additional 7,317 shares during the period. Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Waters by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 2,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $966,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 148.6% during the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 259,691 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $85,498,000 after purchasing an additional 155,235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of Waters stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Richard H. Fearon purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total transaction of $1,446,560.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Trading Down 0.2 %

WAT stock traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $294.94. The company had a trading volume of 251,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 510,006. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $231.90 and a 52 week high of $367.21. The stock has a market cap of $17.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a PEG ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.97. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $322.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $323.94.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $635.57 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.20.

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.