Waters Corporation $WAT Holdings Cut by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 81.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,153 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,222 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Waters were worth $346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Waters by 5.9% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $679,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 7.5% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $322.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $369.94 and its 200-day moving average is $349.92. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The business had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $393.84.

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.