11,659 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Acquired by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $4,373,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,182,191,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 27.0% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $488,028,000 after acquiring an additional 348,379 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 0.5% during 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 last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake 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. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 2.5%

WAT stock opened at $405.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.85 billion, a PE ratio of 101.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.19. 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 twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $421.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $380.64 and its 200-day moving average is $346.78.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.95 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Waters from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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.