Madison Asset Management LLC Has $111.35 Million Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management trimmed its Waters Corporation stake by 4.7% in Q4, but still held 293,164 shares worth about $111.35 million, making Waters its 19th-largest position.
• Waters’ latest earnings topped expectations, with $2.70 EPS versus $2.31 expected and $1.27 billion in revenue versus $1.20 billion expected; the company also raised guidance for Q2 2026 and FY 2026.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $395.12, while the shares were trading up 1.1% at $351.76 in the report.

Madison Asset Management LLC cut its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 293,164 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 14,529 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises approximately 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Madison Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.49% of Waters worth $111,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in Waters during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Waters by 510.3% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $460.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $395.12.

Waters Trading Up 1.1%

WAT stock opened at $351.76 on Wednesday. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a market capitalization of $34.53 billion, a PE ratio of 44.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.14. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $312.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business's revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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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