Nuance Investments LLC Sells 146,305 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Nuance Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 99.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 581 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 146,305 shares during the period. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $221,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insider Transactions at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Waters Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $365.74 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $331.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $350.91. The company has a market cap of $35.91 billion, a PE ratio of 46.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Citigroup started coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $394.24.

Waters Company 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.