Novem Group Makes New Investment in Waters Corporation $WAT

Novem Group purchased a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,703 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,027,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 115.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $387.53.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $335.79 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $312.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $353.02. 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 $32.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.