Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Findlay Park Partners LLP

Findlay Park Partners LLP decreased its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 451,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 15,320 shares during the period. Waters makes up 2.3% of Findlay Park Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Findlay Park Partners LLP’s holdings in Waters were worth $169,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its holdings in Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in Waters during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. HSBC increased their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.35.

Waters Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $412.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.84, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $381.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $347.24. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $282.77 and a 1-year high of $421.74.

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. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Waters

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

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.