Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC Reduces Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC trimmed its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 40.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,945 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,018 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 25.8% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,526 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,145,000 after purchasing an additional 8,305 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Waters by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,800,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its stake in Waters by 7.0% during the second quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 22,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,005,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 5.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,004,000 after acquiring an additional 5,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,624,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $387.07 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $389.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $340.42. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.19. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The firm had revenue of $799.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $780.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.050-13.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WAT. TD Cowen increased their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target for the company. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.00.

Waters Profile

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.