Aberdeen Group plc Cuts Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,863 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,721 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.12% of Waters worth $28,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchased a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Waters by 510.3% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup began coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.00.

Waters Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:WAT opened at $304.28 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $324.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $351.42. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $29.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.20.

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

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.