Findlay Park Partners LLP Cuts Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Findlay Park Partners LLP cut its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 451,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 15,320 shares during the period. Waters makes up about 2.3% of Findlay Park Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned about 0.46% of Waters worth $169,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Westpac Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 14.4% in the second quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 2,133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 1.5% in the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 96.3% in the 2nd quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 24,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $9,175,000 after buying an additional 12,002 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Finally, Trillium Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 7.8% in the second quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 12,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,647,000 after buying an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Up 1.9%

WAT stock opened at $412.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $381.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $347.24. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.77 and a 52 week high of $421.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Waters's quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 target price for the company. HSBC upped their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $420.35.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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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