Waters Corporation $WAT Holdings Decreased by London Co. of Virginia

London Co. of Virginia trimmed its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 504,674 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 51,181 shares during the quarter. London Co. of Virginia owned approximately 0.85% of Waters worth $191,695,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $360.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $35.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.85, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $339.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $349.20. 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 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. 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, research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Three research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.