Freemont Management S.A. Has $15.80 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Freemont Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 197.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,600 shares during the period. Waters accounts for approximately 2.8% of Freemont Management S.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Freemont Management S.A.’s holdings in Waters were worth $15,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Waters by 115.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Waters by 510.3% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 4.9%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $334.80 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.87 billion, a PE ratio of 42.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $313.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $352.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WAT. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Profile

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.