PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Acquires 21,329 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WATFree Report) by 110.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,612 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,329 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $602,921,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Waters by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $441,446,000 after buying an additional 359,596 shares during the period. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the 4th quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $303,556,000 after acquiring an additional 148,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Waters by 60.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 814,716 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $242,599,000 after acquiring an additional 307,941 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE:WAT opened at $374.49 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.77 billion, a PE ratio of 47.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $365.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $346.13.

Waters (NYSE:WATGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WAT

Waters Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Waters (NYSE:WAT)

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