Allianz Asset Management GmbH Sells 1,591 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Allianz Asset Management GmbH cut its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,312 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,591 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.9% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 13.1% in the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $679,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CW Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 2.0% in the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $737,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Waters News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and upbeat guidance — Waters posted $4.53 EPS vs. $4.50 est. and revenue of $932.4M (up ~7% y/y); management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $14.30–$14.50 and Q1 guidance of $2.25–$2.35, citing strength in Pharma and Europe. This is the main fundamental catalyst for the stock rally. Waters Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: New/expanded analyst coverage — Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and $400 PT (significant upside vs. current levels), and firms including Guggenheim, Citigroup and Evercore also initiated or reiterated coverage, adding buying interest and liquidity. Barclays Overweight on WAT
• Positive Sentiment: Technicals suggest a potential rebound — commentary notes the stock was materially oversold over the past month, increasing the chance of a technical bounce as analysts raise estimates. This may have amplified short‑covering and buyer interest. Down 19.0% in 4 Weeks, Here’s Why Waters Looks Ripe for a Turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy/legislative mention unrelated to the company — A bill introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters on hydrofluoric acid in refineries is circulating; this concerns refineries, not Waters Corporation (analytical instruments), so it’s unlikely to affect WAT’s fundamentals. H.R. 7384 Bill Text
• Neutral Sentiment: Personal news about an unrelated individual with the surname Waters — irrelevant to company performance or stock. Personal announcement (unrelated)
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America cut its price target to $350 — a downward revision that could temper upside and indicates some analyst caution despite the beat; investors should weigh this alongside other bullish initiations. BofA Lowers WAT Price Target

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $323.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $380.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $347.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.41. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.68.

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.