Madison Asset Management LLC Sells 14,529 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Madison Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 293,164 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 14,529 shares during the period. Waters makes up approximately 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $111,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake in Waters by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 411 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report 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 report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.12.

Waters Stock Up 1.1%

Waters stock opened at $351.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $312.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $352.35. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.