Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) by 18,305.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 488,854 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 486,198 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $146,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th 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 during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.
Waters Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $378.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $361.82 and a 200 day moving average of $346.38.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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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