Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd Sells 3,638 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Evelyn Partners Asset Management cut its Waters Corporation stake by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,638 shares and leaving it with 24,171 shares valued at about $9.18 million.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains very high, with institutions holding 94.01% of Waters stock, and several other investors modestly increased their positions.
• Waters reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.70 versus $2.31 expected and revenue of $1.27 billion versus $1.20 billion expected; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $394.56.

Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd lowered its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,171 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,638 shares during the period. Waters comprises 2.1% of Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Waters were worth $9,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,890,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of Waters by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 2.9% during the 1st 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. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $355.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $337.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $350.26. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. 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 stock has a market cap of $34.87 billion, a PE ratio of 45.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Evercore upgraded Waters from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $394.56.

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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