Rhumbline Advisers Purchases 7,636 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 132,795 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,636 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Waters were worth $39,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 112.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $73,733,000 after purchasing an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $232,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 1.3%

Waters stock opened at $323.91 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $19.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $380.71 and a 200-day moving average of $347.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.10 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WAT. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.68.

Key Waters News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and upbeat guidance — Waters posted $4.53 EPS vs. $4.50 est. and revenue of $932.4M (up ~7% y/y); management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $14.30–$14.50 and Q1 guidance of $2.25–$2.35, citing strength in Pharma and Europe. This is the main fundamental catalyst for the stock rally. Waters Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: New/expanded analyst coverage — Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and $400 PT (significant upside vs. current levels), and firms including Guggenheim, Citigroup and Evercore also initiated or reiterated coverage, adding buying interest and liquidity. Barclays Overweight on WAT
• Positive Sentiment: Technicals suggest a potential rebound — commentary notes the stock was materially oversold over the past month, increasing the chance of a technical bounce as analysts raise estimates. This may have amplified short‑covering and buyer interest. Down 19.0% in 4 Weeks, Here’s Why Waters Looks Ripe for a Turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy/legislative mention unrelated to the company — A bill introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters on hydrofluoric acid in refineries is circulating; this concerns refineries, not Waters Corporation (analytical instruments), so it’s unlikely to affect WAT’s fundamentals. H.R. 7384 Bill Text
• Neutral Sentiment: Personal news about an unrelated individual with the surname Waters — irrelevant to company performance or stock. Personal announcement (unrelated)
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America cut its price target to $350 — a downward revision that could temper upside and indicates some analyst caution despite the beat; investors should weigh this alongside other bullish initiations. BofA Lowers WAT Price Target

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.