Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Purchased by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 44.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 825,723 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 4.52% of Waters worth $806,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,055 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its position in Waters by 13.1% during the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $679,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $387.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.16. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $389.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $340.42.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.