Robeco Schweiz AG Boosts Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Robeco Schweiz AG raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 87.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 347,801 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 162,341 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises 2.3% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG owned approximately 0.58% of Waters worth $104,274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.8% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,055 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its position in Waters by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $679,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. William Blair started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Rothschild Redb upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $395.00.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $393.63 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $388.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $339.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $23.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.18, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56.

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

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.