Champlain Investment Partners LLC Has $177.45 Million Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 35.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 478,319 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 265,910 shares during the period. Waters accounts for approximately 1.1% of Champlain Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Champlain Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $177,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $104,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,579,000 after purchasing an additional 41,339 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $908,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth $100,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Waters by 0.9% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,439,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Baird R W raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.38.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock opened at $321.34 on Thursday. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $363.71 and its 200-day moving average is $371.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current 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.