Metis Global Partners LLC Sells 309 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Metis Global Partners LLC reduced its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 309 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 966 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,565,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 3.8% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $377.22 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $22.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $390.04 and its 200 day moving average is $367.72. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. Research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $390.40.

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.