EFG Asset Management North America Corp. Cuts Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

EFG Asset Management North America Corp. lessened its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 36.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,861 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,195 shares during the quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 112.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $503,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Waters by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 109,314 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,553,000 after purchasing an additional 34,209 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Waters by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Waters by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,822 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $300.06 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $17.86 billion, a PE ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $305.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.57. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The firm had revenue of $771.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $745.96 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WAT. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $378.73.

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.