Hikari Power Ltd trimmed its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 83.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,024 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 39,606 shares during the period. Hikari Power Ltd's holdings in Waters were worth $2,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth about $30,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its position in Waters by 10,200.0% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 103 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC boosted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $401.60.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WAT
Waters Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $369.45 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $355.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $346.70. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.
Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.Waters's quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Waters Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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