Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank trimmed its Waters stake by 4.7% in Q3, selling 8,500 shares and leaving 171,600 shares (about 0.29%) valued at roughly $51.45 million.
• Waters beat the quarter with $4.53 EPS (vs. $4.50 est.) and $932.4M revenue, and issued FY2026 guidance of $14.30–$14.50 and Q1 guidance of $2.25–$2.35 per share.
• Analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $393.84, while the stock recently opened around $283.58 and has a 52‑week range of $275.05–$414.15.

Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 171,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 8,500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.29% of Waters worth $51,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 115.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Waters by 510.3% in 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 last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $283.58 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $354.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $350.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WAT. Evercore initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price target on Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Waters from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $480.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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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