Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Sells 3,078 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management cut its stake in Waters by 10.6% in Q4, selling 3,078 shares and ending the period with 25,941 shares valued at about $9.85 million per its 13F filing.
• Waters director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares on March 16 at $289.46 each, increasing his holding to 3,441 shares (a 17% increase); company insiders own 0.63% while institutional ownership is ~94.01%.
• Waters beat Q4 EPS estimates ($4.53 vs. $4.50), set FY2026 guidance of $14.30–$14.50 EPS, and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $387.53.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,078 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Waters were worth $9,853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Waters by 115.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Waters by 510.3% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased 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 directly owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $326.56 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $313.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $352.24. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The firm had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $928.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.10 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore upgraded Waters from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $460.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $387.53.

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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