Parkside Financial Bank & Trust Trims Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Parkside Financial Bank & Trust trimmed its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 29.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 83 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 35 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust’s holdings in Waters were worth $27,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Waters by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $311.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $334.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $307.28. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $231.90 and a 1-year high of $363.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.46 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.92.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly 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. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. The business had revenue of $819.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $815.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.84 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the 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 owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.