Semanteon Capital Management LP Takes Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,527 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $832,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Waters by 55.3% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total transaction of $177,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Waters Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of WAT stock traded up $2.95 on Friday, reaching $311.30. The company had a trading volume of 270,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,031. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market cap of $18.46 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a PEG ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $334.78 and a 200-day moving average of $307.01. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $231.90 and a 12 month high of $363.80.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $819.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $815.50 million. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. Waters’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $298.67.

Waters 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.