BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $40.38 Million Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its Waters stake by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,715 shares and ending with 106,303 shares valued at about $40.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutions owning about 94.01% of Waters’ stock, and several large holders including Vanguard and Fundsmith increasing positions.
• Waters has seen upbeat analyst and business news, including multiple price target increases, a Wolfe Research outperform/strong-buy initiation with a $425 target, and FDA 510(k) clearance for the BD BACTEC FXI Culture System.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 106,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 6,715 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.18% of Waters worth $40,377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,295,612,000 after acquiring an additional 246,128 shares during the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,185,898,000 after acquiring an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. now owns 1,356,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $406,629,000 after acquiring an additional 135,504 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

More Waters News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters Corporation with an outperform/strong-buy view and a $425 price target, implying meaningful upside and helping support the stock. Waters was upgraded by Wolfe Research to "strong-buy".
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Waters to $400 from $370, signaling continued confidence in the company’s outlook even while keeping a neutral rating. Waters had its price target raised by Bank of America Corporation.
• Positive Sentiment: Waters announced FDA 510(k) clearance for the BD BACTEC FXI Culture System, which expands access to bloodstream infection diagnostics and delivers a faster time to detection, a potentially meaningful commercial win for its clinical diagnostics portfolio. Waters Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance of BD BACTEC FXI Culture System.
• Neutral Sentiment: Waters presented at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026, but no new financial guidance or material business update was highlighted in the transcript headline alone. Waters Corporation (WAT) Presents at Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $379.76 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $37.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.25, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $328.28 and a 200 day moving average of $350.82. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The company 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%.Waters's revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $394.24.

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.

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