Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Argyle Capital Management Inc.

Argyle Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,400 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Waters makes up approximately 1.3% of Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Waters by 1.4% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,520,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $965,392,000 after buying an additional 48,740 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Waters by 3.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,092,459 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $299,563,000 after purchasing an additional 32,059 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Waters by 129.9% during 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. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 34.3% during 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, Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in Waters by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 582,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $191,628,000 after purchasing an additional 10,550 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock traded up $2.95 on Friday, reaching $311.30. 270,575 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 367,375. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $334.78 and a 200-day moving average of $307.57. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $363.80. The firm has a market cap of $18.46 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $819.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $298.67.

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.