Empyrean Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 92,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $27,398,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Waters by 1.4% during the first quarter. Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd now owns 24,518 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,301,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 242.4% in the first quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Waters by 615.8% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 525,246 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $156,418,000 after purchasing an additional 451,871 shares during the last quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC raised its position in Waters by 4,000.0% in the 1st quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Waters by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 72,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,653,000 after buying an additional 5,652 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have commented on WAT. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.
Waters Trading Down 0.9%
Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $371.13 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $36.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $366.00 and its 200-day moving average is $345.58.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.
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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