Fenimore Asset Management Inc Boosts Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Fenimore Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 243,780 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises 1.7% of Fenimore Asset Management Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Fenimore Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Waters were worth $85,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 85.7% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $605,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its stake 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 valued at $14,145,000 after purchasing an additional 8,305 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 530,697 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $195,599,000 after purchasing an additional 28,018 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 4.6% in the 1st 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. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE:WAT opened at $328.95 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $19.58 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $296.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $325.01. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The firm had revenue of $771.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.96 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 EPS. The business’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. Research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $380.43.

Waters 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.