London Co. of Virginia Sells 16,912 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

London Co. of Virginia trimmed its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 2.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 580,436 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 16,912 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia’s holdings in Waters were worth $202,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,410,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,586,653,000 after buying an additional 138,511 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 31.0% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,403,615,000 after acquiring an additional 950,687 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Waters by 1.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after acquiring an additional 37,763 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Waters by 2.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,552,399 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $539,606,000 after purchasing an additional 42,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Waters during the second quarter worth about $266,384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of WAT opened at $385.35 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $22.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.42, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $368.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $333.75.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The business had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price target on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.31.

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.