Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Bought by Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 62.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,967 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 10,200.0% during the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $400.37.

Waters Stock Up 0.1%

Waters stock traded up $0.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $377.35. 502,288 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 878,968. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The firm has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.95, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. 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’s 50-day moving average is $358.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $346.91.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company 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. On average, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Waters 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.