12,808 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Bought by Jones Kertz & Associates Inc.

Jones Kertz & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 12,808 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $4,865,000. Waters comprises 2.5% of Jones Kertz & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 115.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group cut their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $387.53.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Stock Up 2.4%

WAT stock opened at $335.59 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $311.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.98. The stock has a market cap of $32.94 billion, a PE ratio of 31.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

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.