First Nebraska Trust Co Acquires New Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT

First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,455 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,518,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Waters during the second quarter valued at $28,000. First Bancorp Inc ME purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Caitlin John LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 43.9% in the second quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results topped estimates: Revenue was $1.767 billion, above expectations of about $1.75 billion, while adjusted EPS of $4.10 beat the $4.00 consensus and grew 21% year over year. Organic revenue increased 9% (10% in constant currency). Waters Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: Higher outlook: Waters raised its 2026 revenue and earnings guidance after the beat. Its next-quarter revenue outlook also slightly exceeded expectations, supporting confidence in near-term momentum. Q3 beat and raised guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Promising 2027 framework: Management outlined a 29.2% adjusted operating-margin target and a path to high-single-digit growth, signaling expectations for continued expansion and profitability. 2027 growth framework
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion in proteomics: Waters acquired MOBILion Systems, adding high-resolution ion-mobility technology to its mass-spectrometry portfolio. The deal is aimed at proteomics and biomarker research, including workflows designed for growing AI-driven lab demand. MOBILion acquisition announcement

Waters Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $459.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $45.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $432.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $371.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.77 and a 52-week high of $482.28.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 120.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.40 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $440.00 in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Waters from $450.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Waters from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $457.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.