Wendell David Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $527,000.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Fundsmith LLP raised its stake in Waters by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,185,898,000 after buying an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 32.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares during the period. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. increased its position in Waters by 11.1% during the third quarter. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. now owns 1,356,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $406,629,000 after acquiring an additional 135,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore raised Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.68.
Waters Stock Performance
NYSE:WAT opened at $375.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $348.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $346.95. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.91 billion, a PE ratio of 47.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.21.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.
About Waters
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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