Legal & General Group Plc Has $164.73 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 433,682 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,024 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.73% of Waters worth $164,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $343.01 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $320.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $33.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.58, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The company’s revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. Research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.00.

Waters Company Profile

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.