Fenimore Asset Management Inc Purchases 9,292 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Fenimore Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Waters Corporation, purchasing 9,292 additional shares, bringing their total to 243,780 shares, which represents 1.7% of their portfolio.
• Analysts have adjusted their price targets for Waters, with Bank of America raising its target to $375.00 and Wells Fargo lowering it to $315.00, illustrating varying outlooks on the stock.
• Waters Corporation reported earnings of $2.95 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue rising 8.8% year-over-year to $771.33 million for the latest quarter.

Fenimore Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 243,780 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises approximately 1.7% of Fenimore Asset Management Inc's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Fenimore Asset Management Inc owned 0.41% of Waters worth $85,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Waters by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,272,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,680,334,000 after buying an additional 173,584 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Waters by 15.7% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,070,671 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,131,757,000 after purchasing an additional 416,669 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Waters by 6.3% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,066,482 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $761,643,000 after purchasing an additional 123,215 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,112,128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $409,897,000 after purchasing an additional 136,396 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Waters by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 739,630 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $272,605,000 after purchasing an additional 15,563 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $380.43.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $328.95 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $296.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $325.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $19.58 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56.

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

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