Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Takes $8.83 Million Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 29,465 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $8,834,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 21.4% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 96,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,811,000 after buying an additional 16,951 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $598,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,754 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Waters by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $806,397,000 after purchasing an additional 825,723 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $397.35 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $389.65 and its 200 day moving average is $341.24. The stock has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.16. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $780.05 million. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%.Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.050-13.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.