Waters Corporation $WAT Stake Lowered by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Waters Corporation by 8.4%, maintaining 11,977 shares worth approximately $4.4 million after selling 1,100 shares in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have modified their holdings, with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increasing its stake by 169.1%, now owning 11,619 shares valued at $4.3 million.
• The stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $378.73, reflecting varied analyst opinions on its market performance.

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $4,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 85.7% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 4.6% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 4.1% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter worth $75,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 169.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,619 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,283,000 after purchasing an additional 7,301 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $378.73.

Waters Stock Down 0.4%

Waters stock opened at $296.6610 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $316.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $344.14. The firm has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56.

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

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