BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments Sells 48,480 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments cut its Waters Corporation stake by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 48,480 shares and leaving it with 100,920 shares worth about $38.7 million.
• Waters received mixed-to-positive analyst attention, including a boost from HSBC to a buy rating with a $435 target, while the overall consensus remains Moderate Buy with an average price target of $394.24.
• The company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.70 and revenue of $1.27 billion, and it guided Q2 2026 EPS at $2.95-$3.05 and FY 2026 EPS at $14.40-$14.60.

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments decreased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 32.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 100,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 48,480 shares during the period. Waters makes up 1.1% of BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments' holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments owned 0.17% of Waters worth $38,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $1,184,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 64.6% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 23,542 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $9,024,000 after buying an additional 9,241 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 178.4% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 17,686 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,718,000 after buying an additional 11,333 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 126.5% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Waters by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 433,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $164,811,000 after purchasing an additional 101,459 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the firm's 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 purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $394.24.

Waters Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $363.27 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firm's 50-day moving average is $332.29 and its 200-day moving average is $350.61. The stock has a market cap of $35.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.16, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.21. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. Waters's quarterly revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

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.

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