Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Takes $717,000 Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA bought a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,407 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 3,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $966,000 after purchasing an additional 832 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 0.9% in the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 224,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $66,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,958 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 64.5% in the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 3,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $998,000 after buying an additional 1,314 shares during the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 9.0% in the first quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 7,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,155,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 184.1% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 20,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,222,000 after buying an additional 13,540 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WAT. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. HSBC lifted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

Waters Stock Up 3.6%

WAT stock opened at $384.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.77 billion, a PE ratio of 48.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day moving average of $367.04 and a 200-day moving average of $345.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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.