Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Raises Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Waters Corporation by 6.4% during Q2, now owning approximately $15.12 million worth of shares.
• Waters Corporation reported earnings of $2.95 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue also rising 8.8% year-over-year.
• The company receives a consensus rating of "Hold" from analysts, with an average price target of $378.73.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,590 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.07% of Waters worth $15,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA raised its position in Waters by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 3,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,163,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in Waters by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 658 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters by 0.8% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,026,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.2% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 852 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Up 0.5%

WAT stock opened at $302.34 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $294.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $329.54. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $18.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The business had revenue of $771.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $745.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Bank of America raised their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $378.73.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans.

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