Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,782,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 25.4% during the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,222,000 after purchasing an additional 28,074 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in shares of Waters by 329.0% in the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after buying an additional 3,293 shares in the last quarter. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $942,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Waters by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,045,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Waters by 1,662.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 64,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $24,413,000 after buying an additional 60,626 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Waters
Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Waters reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.05 per share, exceeding the $3.01 analyst consensus and rising from $2.95 a year earlier. Revenue reached $1.645 billion, above the high end of the company’s prior outlook, with organic revenue up 7% reported and 9% in constant currency. Waters Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS forecast to $14.45-$14.65 and revenue outlook to approximately $6.415-$6.476 billion, broadly ahead of or in line with existing expectations. The higher forecast reflects strong laboratory-equipment and diagnostics demand, as well as contributions from acquired businesses. Waters Lifts Annual Forecasts on Strong Lab-Equipment and Diagnostics Demand
- Positive Sentiment: Management cited 8% instrument growth, double-digit chemistry-consumables growth and improving pharmaceutical and applied-market demand, indicating that the end-market recovery is becoming more widespread. An analyst at William Blair maintained a Buy rating, pointing to recovery potential and acquisition synergies. Analyst Maintains Buy on Waters
- Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance calls for adjusted EPS of $3.95-$4.05, near the $4.01 consensus, while revenue guidance of $1.7-$1.8 billion has a midpoint below the $1.8 billion expectation. This may limit near-term upside despite the stronger full-year outlook.
- Neutral Sentiment: Waters posted a GAAP loss of $1.39 per share, compared with a $2.47 profit a year earlier, but the result was affected by acquisition-related items; adjusted EPS remained profitable and improved year over year. Waters Reports Second Quarter 2026 Revenue
Waters Stock Up 5.4%
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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.95 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have weighed in on WAT. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $402.47.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on WAT
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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