Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Bank of America Corp DE

Key Points

• Bank of America reduced its Waters stake by 0.5% in the second quarter, selling 4,044 shares and retaining 839,592 shares valued at approximately $314.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.01% of the company.
• Waters reported quarterly EPS of $3.05, exceeding the $3.01 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.65 billion and rose 113.3% year over year. The company issued full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45 to $14.65.
• Analyst sentiment is favorable, with Waters carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $430.10; TD Cowen upgraded the stock to “Buy” and raised its target to $475.

Bank of America Corp DE decreased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 839,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,044 shares during the quarter. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.85% of Waters worth $314,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Bollard Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $419.10 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $397.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $356.34. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $426.22. The company has a market capitalization of $41.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 104.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $430.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

About Waters

Waters Corporation NYSE: WAT develops and manufactures analytical workflow technologies used to measure, characterize and manage chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, industrial organizations, academic institutions and government laboratories.

The company's portfolio includes liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis instruments, along with chromatography columns, consumables, laboratory software and services.

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