Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,090 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,714 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Waters during the second quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Waters by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $371.45 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $333.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $350.57. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.20, a PEG ratio of 2.20 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business’s revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Three equities 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. According to MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $394.24.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.