Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 4,612 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has reduced its position in Waters Corporation by 0.9%, now holding 484,519 shares valued at approximately $178.5 million.
• Institutional investors such as Vanguard Group Inc. and Invesco Ltd. have increased their stakes in Waters, indicating strong interest in the company.
• Waters Corporation reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.95 for the recent quarter, slightly above estimates, with a revenue growth of 8.8% year-over-year.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 0.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 484,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,612 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.81% of Waters worth $178,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Waters by 85.7% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Waters by 4.6% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Waters by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $75,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 169.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,619 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,283,000 after purchasing an additional 7,301 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WAT. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 target price on Waters and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $378.73.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock traded up $11.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $301.93. 500,262 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 841,943. The company has a market capitalization of $17.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $342.56. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The company had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $745.96 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.