Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich trimmed its Waters position by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 4,220 shares and ending with 33,135 shares valued at about $12.68 million.
• Waters reported better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, posting $2.70 EPS on revenue of $1.27 billion, ahead of analyst estimates; the company also issued upbeat Q2 and full-year FY2026 guidance.
• Shares of Waters were slightly lower in the session, while analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $396.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich reduced its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,135 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,220 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned about 0.06% of Waters worth $12,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Freemont Management S.A. grew its position in Waters by 197.1% in the 4th quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 41,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,801,000 after acquiring an additional 27,600 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,787 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 18,678 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 11,299 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,812 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $333.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $32.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.37, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. The company's fifty day moving average is $313.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $352.02.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business's revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $396.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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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