Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) by 63.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,943 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,914 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Waters by 32.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $441,446,000 after purchasing an additional 359,596 shares during the period. Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after purchasing an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 17.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $303,556,000 after purchasing an additional 148,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $265,751,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms have issued reports on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.60.
Waters Stock Performance
Shares of WAT opened at $375.25 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $361.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.44. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a market capitalization of $36.85 billion, a PE ratio of 47.68, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. 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 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal 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.
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