Gabelli Funds LLC Grows Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 22.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,514 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,222,000 after acquiring an additional 28,074 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its position in Waters by 329.0% during the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Waters by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter worth about $942,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of Waters by 1,662.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE WAT opened at $379.37 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $367.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $345.36. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $37.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed 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. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.60.

Waters Company 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.