Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Reduces Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC decreased its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 59.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,122 shares during the quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Waters by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $638,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waters by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.3% in the first quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $379.37 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $367.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $345.36. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $37.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.20, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.20. 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 released its quarterly 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 net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

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.