Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Sells 252,258 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,298,752 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 252,258 shares during the period. Waters accounts for 2.8% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $493,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $4,070,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its position in shares of Waters by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 2,840 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Portland Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its position in shares of Waters by 114.5% during the 4th quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 2,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $265,751,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Evercore upgraded Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.00.

Waters Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $376.97 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $325.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $350.93. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The company has a market capitalization of $37.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS 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.