Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Korea Investment CORP

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP reduced its stake in Waters Corporation by 26.0%, selling 7,000 shares in the first quarter, which left them with 19,918 shares valued at approximately $7.34 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their holdings in Waters Corporation, with 94.01% of the company's stock owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Waters reported a quarterly earnings of $2.95 EPS, beating analysts' expectations, alongside a revenue increase of 8.8% compared to the previous year, reaching $771.33 million.

Korea Investment CORP lowered its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 26.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,918 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 7,000 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP's holdings in Waters were worth $7,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 3,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 658 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $643,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on WAT. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $378.73.

Waters Trading Up 4.0%

NYSE:WAT opened at $301.93 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $314.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.56. The company has a market capitalization of $17.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

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

Waters Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.