Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Cuts Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co decreased its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 72.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 7,162 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at about $3,182,191,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its position in Waters by 112.3% in the 4th quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,447,000 after purchasing an additional 656,436 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Waters by 509.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,906,000 after buying an additional 561,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Waters by 1,611.3% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after buying an additional 547,109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America increased their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

Waters Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:WAT opened at $412.37 on Monday. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $421.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $381.79 and its 200 day moving average is $347.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a PE ratio of 102.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share 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.