Everett Harris & Co. CA Acquires New Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Everett Harris & Co. CA bought a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 29,991 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $11,248,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Waters by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $488,028,000 after buying an additional 348,379 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 32.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares during the period. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its position in Waters by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Waters by 17.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $303,556,000 after acquiring an additional 148,320 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $411.88 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $377.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $346.31. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.77 and a 52-week high of $420.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.47 billion, a PE ratio of 102.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $420.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.