Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 13.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 223 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $83,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $390.40.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $373.26 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $22.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $389.86 and a 200-day moving average of $367.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. On average, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.