Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Purchased by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 7.6%, acquiring an additional 3,261 shares during the first quarter.
• Waters Corporation reported $2.95 EPS for its last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $771.33 million, up 8.8% year-over-year.
• The consensus rating for Waters stock is currently a "Hold," with an average target price of $378.73 as per analysts' evaluations.

Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 7.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,302 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,261 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Waters worth $17,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Waters by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in Waters by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,822 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Waters by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,516,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its holdings in Waters by 4,099.3% in the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 28,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,593,000 after acquiring an additional 27,875 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $9.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $300.37. 1,083,679 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 615,621. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.07. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $303.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $335.03. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. The business 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 revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note 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 given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.