Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) by 2,711.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 162,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 156,353 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s holdings in Waters were worth $60,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new stake in Waters during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its stake in Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $424.35.
Waters Stock Up 1.5%
Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $420.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $41.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.82, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $426.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $386.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $347.99.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Waters 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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