Waters Corporation $WAT is Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s 10th Largest Position

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management cut its Waters Corporation stake by 16.3% in Q4, but Waters still remains its 10th-largest holding and about 2.8% of the portfolio. The firm held 1,298,752 shares valued at roughly $493.3 million.
• Waters reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.70 versus $2.31 expected and revenue of $1.27 billion versus $1.20 billion projected. The company also raised guidance for Q2 2026 and FY 2026.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive, with MarketBeat showing a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $396. Several firms recently reiterated or raised targets, while insider director Wei Jiang also bought shares in March.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,298,752 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 252,258 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises approximately 2.8% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 2.18% of Waters worth $493,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $1,397,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 543.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Waters by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 231,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $69,512,000 after acquiring an additional 25,182 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,295,612,000 after acquiring an additional 246,128 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,677,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $376.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50-day moving average is $325.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $350.93. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.Waters's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore upgraded Waters from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $396.00.

Waters Company 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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