Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Buys 797 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA grew its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,262 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 797 shares during the period. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. London Co. of Virginia bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth $158,723,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Waters by 129.9% in 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 last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth $78,017,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Waters by 34.3% in the third 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 third quarter worth $50,369,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of WAT stock traded up $9.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $345.88. 255,808 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 417,908. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $332.93 and its 200-day moving average is $311.03. The company has a market cap of $20.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.01, a P/E/G ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $231.90 and a fifty-two week high of $363.80.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.72% and a return on equity of 81.30%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.49 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays cut 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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 research report on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $306.70.

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.