Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. Has $435.37 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. reduced its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,146,209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 210,080 shares during the quarter. Waters accounts for approximately 8.0% of Fundsmith Investment Services LTD.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD.’s holdings in Waters were worth $435,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its stake in Waters by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.56.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $360.87 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $339.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $349.20. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.85, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current 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.