Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 9,179 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group reduced its Waters position by 4.1%, selling 9,179 shares and retaining 214,145 shares valued at approximately $80.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of the company.
• Analysts remain generally positive, with Waters receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $420.35; RBC and TD Cowen raised their targets to $475.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 in EPS versus the $3.01 estimate and $1.65 billion in revenue, up 113.3% year over year. Shares opened at $411.88, near the company’s 52-week high of $420.26.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 214,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 9,179 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.22% of Waters worth $80,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Waters by 25.4% during the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,222,000 after buying an additional 28,074 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in Waters by 329.0% during the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $942,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Waters by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dudley & Shanley Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 101.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $8,847,000 after acquiring an additional 11,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $420.35.

Waters Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $411.88 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $282.77 and a fifty-two week high of $420.26. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $377.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.86. The company has a market cap of $40.47 billion, a PE ratio of 102.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. Waters's revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waters Profile

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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