Insider Selling: Waters (NYSE:WAT) Director Sells $1,442,930.44 in Stock

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT traded up $7.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $406.94. 888,557 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,032,541. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $372.78 and a 200 day moving average of $345.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 101.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler started coverage on Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price objective on Waters in a research report on Wednesday. HSBC upped their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $420.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $418.10.

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.