Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 103,748 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 20.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 395,352 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 103,748 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $150,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its holdings in Waters by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $378.62 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $351.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $347.02.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. 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 research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.68.

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.