Korea Investment CORP Sells 2,375 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Korea Investment CORP trimmed its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 49,296 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,375 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Waters were worth $18,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its stake 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Waters Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $412.37 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $381.79 and a 200 day moving average of $347.02. The company has a market cap of $40.52 billion, a PE ratio of 102.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.77 and a 12-month high of $421.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 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 company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.95 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Waters from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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.