Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Short Interest Up 12.4% in April

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) saw a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,730,912 shares, an increase of 12.4% from the March 31st total of 3,319,229 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 812,670 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Barclays began coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group cut their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $387.53.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $307.22 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $309.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $351.85. Waters has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Waters

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.