Impax Asset Management Group plc Sells 10,822 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Impax Asset Management Group plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 263,546 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 10,822 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Waters were worth $79,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Waters by 65.4% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America reduced their target price on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $400.84.

Waters News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Waters reported $4.53 EPS and $932M revenue, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year revenue growth, supporting the company’s operating strength. Zacks: Waters Beats Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst bullishness: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy and set a $440 price target, and Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and $425 target — both imply sizable upside versus the current level. Benzinga / Guggenheim TickerReport / Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Waters completed the Reverse Morris Trust combination with BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business, creating a larger life‑sciences company and naming Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D. to the board — a strategic step that management says will drive scale and synergies. PR Newswire: Combination Closed
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore ISI initiated coverage with an In‑Line rating and $360 target — modest upside but not an upgrade; this is informational rather than a clear directional catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance disappointed: Waters guided Q1 EPS of $2.25–$2.35 vs. consensus ~ $2.52 and flagged first‑quarter profit below Wall Street estimates, which pressured sentiment. Yahoo Finance: Q1 Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed targets or tempered ratings: Bank of America cut its price target to $350 and kept a Neutral rating, and TD Cowen maintained a Hold while lowering its target to $373 — incremental negative influence on sentiment. Benzinga / BofA TipRanks / TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY‑2026 targets that reflect the BD integration: projected revenue around $6.4–$6.46B and a target margin near 28.1%, signaling potential longer‑term upside if synergies materialize. MSN: FY2026 Targets

Waters Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $326.82 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $385.01 and a 200 day moving average of $347.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.18.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 36.45% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.10 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Waters Company 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.