Waters Corporation $WAT Stock: Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Trims Position

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,781 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,410 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. North Dakota State Investment Board boosted its stake in Waters by 3.0% in the third quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 3,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $217,000. Conning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 2,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction 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 approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $476.95 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $282.77 and a 1 year high of $482.28. 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 company has a market capitalization of $46.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.94, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $428.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $369.80.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC upped their target price on Waters from $450.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waters from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Evercore lifted their price target on Waters from $410.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on Waters from $420.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $457.50.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.