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

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

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Partners WNY LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $789,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,623 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,137,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $256,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $378.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a PE ratio of 48.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $347.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. HSBC upped their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.