Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 1,233 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Waters Corporation by 18.3%, holding 5,497 shares now valued at approximately $2.03 million.
• Waters Corporation reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.95 for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.93.
• Institutional investors hold 94.01% of Waters Corporation's stock, reflecting strong interest and confidence in the company.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 18.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,497 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,233 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $2,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Findlay Park Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 10.7% in the first quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 581,169 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $214,201,000 after acquiring an additional 56,000 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Waters by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 173,791 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $64,054,000 after purchasing an additional 9,901 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth $2,730,000. Quantitative Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth $283,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at $130,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on Waters and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $378.73.

Waters Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded up $7.65 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $297.71. 370,561 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 611,483. The company has a market capitalization of $17.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.07. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.75. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $306.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $337.05.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $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. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share 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.