Vanguard Trims Waters Corp Stake to 3.69%

Ticker: WAT · Form: SC 13G/A · Filed: 2024-02-13T00:00:00.000Z

Sentiment: mixed

Topics: institutional-ownership, stake-reduction, amendment, vanguard

TL;DR

**Vanguard cut its stake in Waters Corp to 3.69%, signaling a potential shift in their investment outlook.**

AI Summary

The Vanguard Group, a major investment firm, filed an amended SC 13G/A on February 13, 2024, disclosing its ownership in Waters Corp. As of December 29, 2023, Vanguard beneficially owned 10,750,474 shares of Waters Corp's Common Stock, representing 3.69% of the company. This is a decrease from their previous filing, indicating Vanguard has reduced its stake, which could signal a shift in their investment strategy or outlook on Waters Corp's future performance.

Why It Matters

This filing shows that a major institutional investor, Vanguard, has reduced its ownership in Waters Corp, which could be interpreted as a lack of conviction or a strategic reallocation of assets, potentially influencing other investors' perceptions of the stock.

Risk Assessment

Risk Level: medium — A significant institutional investor reducing its stake can sometimes precede a period of underperformance for the stock, though it's not a guarantee.

Analyst Insight

An investor might want to research the reasons behind Vanguard's reduction in stake, such as any recent news or financial performance of Waters Corp, before making any investment decisions. This could involve looking into Waters Corp's Q4 2023 earnings or any forward guidance provided around the December 29, 2023, date.

Key Numbers

10,750,474 — Shares Beneficially Owned (Represents the total number of Waters Corp Common Stock shares Vanguard holds as of December 29, 2023.)
3.69% — Percentage of Class (Indicates Vanguard's ownership percentage of Waters Corp's Common Stock, showing a reduction from previous filings.)

Key Players & Entities

The Vanguard Group (company) — reporting person and institutional investor
Waters Corp (company) — subject company whose stock is being reported
10,750,474 (dollar_amount) — number of shares beneficially owned by Vanguard
3.69% (dollar_amount) — percentage of Waters Corp's Common Stock owned by Vanguard
December 29, 2023 (date) — date of the event requiring the filing
February 13, 2024 (date) — filing date of the SC 13G/A amendment

Forward-Looking Statements

Waters Corp's stock price may experience short-term volatility due to Vanguard's reduced stake. (Waters Corp) — medium confidence, target: Q1 2024
Other institutional investors might re-evaluate their positions in Waters Corp following Vanguard's move. (Institutional Investors) — low confidence, target: Q2 2024

FAQ

What is the purpose of an SC 13G/A filing?

An SC 13G/A is an amendment to a Schedule 13G, which is filed by institutional investors (like Vanguard) to report beneficial ownership of 5% or more of a company's stock, or to update previous filings when their ownership changes. This specific filing is an amendment (indicated by the '/A') to a prior 13G filing for Waters Corp.

Who is the reporting person in this filing?

The reporting person is The Vanguard Group, identified by IRS Identification No. 23-1945930 and organized in Pennsylvania, as stated on the cover page of the filing.

What is the subject company and its CUSIP number?

The subject company is Waters Corp, and the CUSIP Number for its Common Stock is 941848103, as specified on the Schedule 13G cover page.

As of what date did the event requiring this filing occur?

The date of the event which requires the filing of this statement was December 29, 2023, according to the Schedule 13G cover page.

What rule under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is this Schedule 13G/A filed under?

This Schedule 13G/A is filed under Rule 13d-1(b), as indicated by the checked box on the cover page of the filing.

From the Filing

0001104659-24-022283.txt : 20240213 0001104659-24-022283.hdr.sgml : 20240213 20240213171731 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001104659-24-022283 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: SC 13G/A PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 1 FILED AS OF DATE: 20240213 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20240213 SUBJECT COMPANY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: WATERS CORP /DE/ CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001000697 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: LABORATORY ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS [3826] ORGANIZATION NAME: 08 Industrial Applications and Services IRS NUMBER: 133668640 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 13G/A SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 005-49967 FILM NUMBER: 24629924 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 34 MAPLE ST CITY: MILFORD STATE: MA ZIP: 01757 BUSINESS PHONE: 5084782000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 34 MAPLE STREET CITY: MILFORD STATE: MA ZIP: 01757 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: WCD INVESTORS INC /DE/ DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19960605 FILED BY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: VANGUARD GROUP INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000102909 ORGANIZATION NAME: IRS NUMBER: 231945930 STATE OF INCORPORATION: PA FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 13G/A BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: PO BOX 2600 STREET 2: V26 CITY: VALLEY FORGE STATE: PA ZIP: 19482-2600 BUSINESS PHONE: 6106691000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: PO BOX 2600 STREET 2: V26 CITY: VALLEY FORGE STATE: PA ZIP: 19482-2600 SC 13G/A 1 tv02259-waterscorp.htm SCHEDULE 13G/A waterscorp SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 Schedule 13G Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.: 14)* Name of issuer:  Waters Corp Title of Class of Securities:  Common Stock CUSIP Number:  941848103 Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement: December 29, 2023 Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed: ☒ Rule 13d-1(b) ☐ Rule 13d-1(c) ☐ Rule 13d-1(d) *The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). (Continued on the following page(s))     13G CUSIP No.:  941848103 1.  NAME OF REPORTING PERSON I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON The Vanguard Group - 23-1945930 2.  CHECK THE APPROPRIATE [LINE] IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP A.  B.  X 3.  SEC USE ONLY 4.  CITIZENSHIP OF PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Pennsylvania (For questions 5-8, report the number of shares beneficially owned by each reporting person with:) 5.  SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6.  SHARED VOTING POWER 78,415 7.  SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 6,583,192 8.  SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 254,470 9.  AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 6,837,662 10.  CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES N/A 11.  PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9 11.56% 12.  TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON IA     SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 Schedule 13G Under the Securities Act of 1934 Item 1(a) - Name of Issuer: Waters Corp Item 1(b) - Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices: 34 Maple Street Milford, MA 01757 Item 2(a) - Name of Person Filing: The Vanguard Group - 23-1945930 Item 2(b) – Address of Principal Business Office or, if none, residence: 100 Vanguard Blvd. Malvern, PA 19355 Item 2(c) – Citizenship: Pennsylvania Item 2(d) - Title of Class of Securities: Common Stock Item 2