Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 24,208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,760 shares during the period. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 115.4% during the third 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. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $371.45 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $333.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $350.57. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.47 billion, a PE ratio of 47.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America upped their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $394.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.