Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Korea Investment CORP

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP cut its stake in Waters by 56.8% in Q3, selling 16,200 shares and now holds 12,318 shares valued at $3.693 million, while institutional and hedge funds own about 94.01% of the stock.
• Waters topped quarterly estimates with $4.53 EPS (vs. $4.50) and $932.36M revenue (vs. $928.17M), reported a 20.3% net margin and 34.79% ROE, and set FY2026 guidance of 14.30–14.50 EPS (Q1 guidance 2.25–2.35 EPS).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed-to-positive: the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $393.84, although several firms trimmed targets to the $350–360 range while others maintained higher targets.

Korea Investment CORP trimmed its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 56.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 16,200 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP's holdings in Waters were worth $3,693,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Waters by 115.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Waters by 510.3% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $283.58 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The stock's fifty day moving average is $354.58 and its 200-day moving average is $350.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.17 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.10 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a "hold" rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $393.84.

About Waters

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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