Jacobs & Co. CA Boosts Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Jacobs & Co. CA grew its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 22.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,518 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,864 shares during the quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA’s holdings in Waters were worth $5,819,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,890,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $418.10.

Waters Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $406.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.96 billion, a PE ratio of 101.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $373.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $345.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Waters News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waters reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.05 per share, exceeding the $3.01 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.65 billion versus expectations of $1.62 billion. Management issued third-quarter earnings guidance of $3.95–$4.05 per share and maintained full-year guidance of $14.45–$14.65 per share. Waters Corporation 2026 Q2 Results Earnings Call Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable following the results. Barclays raised its price target to $460 and kept an “overweight” rating, while Morgan Stanley set a $430 target. Waters has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $418.10. Waters analyst ratings and price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional activity included new positions from several investment firms, and institutions collectively own approximately 94% of Waters’ outstanding shares, signaling substantial professional-investor support. Waters insider and institutional activity
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock is trading close to its 52-week high and well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Its price-to-earnings ratio of about 101 suggests investors are already pricing in significant future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares for approximately $1.44 million, reducing his direct ownership by 16.92%. The transaction does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook, but it may create modest sentiment pressure. Waters director stock sale

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Company 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.