SFE Investment Counsel Purchases Shares of 1,913 Waters Corporation $WAT

SFE Investment Counsel acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,913 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $570,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP raised its position in Waters by 112.3% in the 4th quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after buying an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Waters by 509.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,906,000 after buying an additional 561,047 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Waters by 1,611.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after acquiring an additional 547,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 2,281.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $204,619,000 after acquiring an additional 516,094 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $377.35. The stock had a trading volume of 502,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,968. The stock has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $358.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. 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, research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $400.37.

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.