First Trust Advisors LP Reduces Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 24.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 303,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 98,692 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.31% of Waters worth $90,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Waters by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at $232,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $374.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.20. The company's fifty day moving average is $365.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $346.13. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. The business's 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $401.60.

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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