Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd cut its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 808,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 108,605 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises approximately 4.8% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd owned about 1.36% of Waters worth $300,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 106,144.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,145,386,000 after acquiring an additional 3,084,555 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $104,645,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 70.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $236,095,000 after purchasing an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 7,120.8% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 189,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $70,264,000 after purchasing an additional 186,778 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $42,114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Waters from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.40.

Waters Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of WAT stock traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $370.19. 343,847 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 439,773. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The business's fifty day moving average is $388.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.