Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. acquired a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $6,354,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 112.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 3.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,733,000 after buying an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 16.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $415,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at $232,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday. Three research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.
Waters Trading Down 3.2%
Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $357.29 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $362.28 and its 200 day moving average is $346.08. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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, research 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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