Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Sells 3,015 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lessened its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 10.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,015 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Waters by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,222,000 after acquiring an additional 28,074 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in Waters by 329.0% in the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the last quarter. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $942,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Waters by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dudley & Shanley Inc. raised its position in Waters by 101.3% during the second quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,847,000 after purchasing an additional 11,870 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $411.88 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $377.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.31. The stock has a market cap of $40.47 billion, a PE ratio of 102.71, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.86. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $282.77 and a fifty-two week high of $420.26.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Waters’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.95 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.