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

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. cut its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 10.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after purchasing an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 509.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,906,000 after purchasing an additional 561,047 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Waters by 1,611.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after purchasing an additional 547,109 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $204,619,000 after purchasing an additional 516,094 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $411.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $40.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.77 and a 12-month high of $420.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $377.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $346.31.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.