Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $18.13 Million Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 5.7% in Q1, acquiring an additional 2,664 shares to own 49,216 shares valued at $18,125,000.
• Waters Corporation reported $2.95 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations of $2.93, with an 8.8% year-over-year revenue growth to $771.33 million.
• Research analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold" on Waters stock, with a consensus price target of $378.73, reflecting mixed sentiments from various analysts on the stock's performance.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,216 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,664 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Waters worth $18,125,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 50,228.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 662,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $244,111,000 after purchasing an additional 661,004 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 676.8% in the first quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 705,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $260,112,000 after purchasing an additional 614,877 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 3,349.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $112,928,000 after purchasing an additional 295,580 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $94,028,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,272,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,680,334,000 after purchasing an additional 173,584 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America upped their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 target price on Waters and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on Waters and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $378.73.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded up $12.4150 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $302.8550. 107,745 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 613,153. The company has a market cap of $18.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm's fifty day moving average is $315.06 and its 200 day moving average is $343.31.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The company had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. Waters's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Waters

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.