Impax Asset Management Group plc Sells 31,297 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Impax Asset Management Group plc sold 31,297 shares of Waters in Q4, trimming its stake by 11.9% to 232,249 shares worth about $88.2 million, representing roughly 0.39% ownership.
• Several brokerages have cut price targets to about $350 (Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) even as Evercore upgraded to "outperform," leaving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $387.53.
• Waters beat Q results with $4.53 EPS vs. $4.50 expected and revenue of $932.4M (up 6.9% YoY), and issued FY2026 guidance of 14.300–14.500 EPS (street ~14.38).

Impax Asset Management Group plc lowered its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 232,249 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 31,297 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned 0.39% of Waters worth $88,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Waters during the third quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Waters by 510.3% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore upgraded shares of Waters from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $387.53.

Waters Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE WAT opened at $310.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $311.73 and a 200-day moving average of $352.48. The company has a market cap of $30.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.82, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.10 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Waters Company 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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