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

Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 20.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 395,352 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 103,748 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.40% of Waters worth $150,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $256,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $244,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Waters by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,787 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $1,005,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $356.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $342.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $348.56. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a PE ratio of 45.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on WAT. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.56.

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.