Royal Bank of Canada Purchases 8,105 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• The Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Waters Corporation by 3.7% in the first quarter, now owning a total of 225,211 shares valued at approximately $83 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in Waters, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its holdings by an astonishing 50,228.3% during the first quarter.
• Waters Corporation reported a quarterly revenue of $771.33 million and earnings per share of $2.95, exceeding analysts' expectations and marking an 8.8% year-over-year growth.

Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 225,211 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 8,105 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.38% of Waters worth $83,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.9% during 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. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 35.7% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 23,874 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $8,857,000 after purchasing an additional 6,281 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $503,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Waters by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 109,314 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,553,000 after purchasing an additional 34,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT traded up $6.59 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $306.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 504,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 559,928. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $304.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $335.79. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.07.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.96 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $378.73.

Waters 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.