Prudential PLC Sells 23,334 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Prudential PLC decreased its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 95.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,235 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 23,334 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters 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 transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.6%

WAT opened at $363.27 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $332.29 and its 200 day moving average is $350.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.67 billion, a PE ratio of 46.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.24.

Waters Company 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.