GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd Sells 94,890 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd lowered its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 530,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 94,890 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises approximately 5.4% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd owned about 0.89% of Waters worth $201,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Waters by 115.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.00.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $384.12 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $323.75 and its 200 day moving average is $351.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $37.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

About Waters

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.