Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Cuts Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lowered its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,009 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,934 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Veritas Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth $175,320,000. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 13,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,138,000 after buying an additional 4,077 shares during the last quarter. Quilter Plc grew its stake in shares of Waters by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 43,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,988,000 after acquiring an additional 3,229 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,004,000 after acquiring an additional 5,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,336,000 after acquiring an additional 2,471 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.68.

Waters Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $333.41 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $374.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $348.68. The company has a market cap of $19.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.96, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal 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.