Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Intech Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management slashed its Waters Corporation stake by 92.9% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 2,933 shares worth about $1.11 million.
• Waters reported strong fiscal Q1 results, posting EPS of $2.70 versus the $2.31 estimate and revenue of $1.27 billion, above expectations. The company also raised guidance for Q2 2026 and FY 2026.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on WAT, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $394.24. Shares recently opened at $365.74, below the target but near the stock’s 12-month high of $414.15.

Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 92.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 38,275 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $1,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Waters by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,295,612,000 after purchasing an additional 246,128 shares during the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP grew its position in Waters by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,185,898,000 after purchasing an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $602,921,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Waters by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $441,446,000 after purchasing an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. grew its position in Waters by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. now owns 1,356,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $406,629,000 after purchasing an additional 135,504 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $365.74 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $35.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $331.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $350.91. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business 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%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $394.24.

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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