Fifth Third Bancorp Increases Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,528 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Waters were worth $882,000 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. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 118.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 5,200.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at $41,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $378.73.

Waters Stock Up 1.4%

WAT stock opened at $291.95 on Monday. 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 fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $295.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $327.21. The stock has a market cap of $17.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The business had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.96 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, sell-side analysts predict 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.