First Trust Advisors LP Reduces Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 24.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 303,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 98,692 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Waters were worth $90,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $374.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $36.77 billion, a PE ratio of 47.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $365.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $346.13. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC upped their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.

About Waters

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.