USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 4,252 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its holdings in Waters Corporation by 17.2% during the first quarter, selling 4,252 shares and bringing their total ownership to 20,486 shares. The remaining shares were valued at approximately $7.55 million.
• Waters Corporation reported $2.95 EPS for its latest quarter, slightly surpassing analyst expectations, and achieved revenue of $771.33 million, an 8.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Waters, with a consensus rating of "Hold", and a target price averaging $378.73, indicating mixed expectations for the stock's future performance.

USS Investment Management Ltd lessened its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 17.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,252 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Waters were worth $7,548,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 112.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in shares of Waters by 4.8% in the 4th 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. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Waters by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,822 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,047,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Waters by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,516,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Waters by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 266,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $99,032,000 after buying an additional 29,558 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Trading Down 2.3%

Waters stock traded down $7.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $295.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 326,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 570,240. The company has a 50 day moving average of $299.65 and a 200-day moving average of $333.38. The stock has a market cap of $17.58 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.75. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 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 the consensus estimate of $745.96 million. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.Waters's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price target on Waters and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.