Newport Trust Company LLC Trims Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Newport Trust Company LLC cut its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 175,530 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,884 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC owned 0.29% of Waters worth $66,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Waters by 225.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $465,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074,449 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $175,320,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Waters by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP raised its holdings in Waters by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,185,898,000 after acquiring an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $92,489,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $341.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $316.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $351.61. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore upgraded Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.00.

Insider Activity at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.