Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. has decreased its holdings in Waters Corporation by 31.4%, now owning 4,939 shares valued at approximately $1.8 million.
• Waters Corporation reported $2.95 earnings per share for its last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and also saw a revenue increase of 8.8% year-over-year.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Waters, with one Strong Buy, five Buy ratings, and nine Hold ratings, giving an average price target of $378.73.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 31.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,262 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Waters were worth $1,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 50,228.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 662,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $244,111,000 after buying an additional 661,004 shares in the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its position in Waters by 676.8% in the 1st quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 705,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $260,112,000 after purchasing an additional 614,877 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Waters by 3,349.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $112,928,000 after purchasing an additional 295,580 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Waters by 93.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 572,823 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $211,125,000 after purchasing an additional 276,433 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $94,028,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NYSE WAT traded up $11.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $301.93. 500,262 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 814,997. The company has a market cap of $17.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year 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 stock's 50 day simple moving average is $314.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.59.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.