Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $9.08 Million Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 42.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 18,059 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $343.73 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $349.55 and its 200 day moving average is $370.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $20.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays decreased their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $390.19.

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.