Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Hikari Tsushin Inc.

Hikari Tsushin Inc. decreased its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 20,556 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,441 shares during the period. Waters accounts for approximately 0.5% of Hikari Tsushin Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Hikari Tsushin Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $7,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 115.4% in 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 last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $359.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $336.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $350.23.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. Equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WAT. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $394.56.

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.