Madison Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Madison Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 279,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 7,207 shares during the period. Waters comprises about 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $104,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its holdings in Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new position in Waters in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in Waters in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $416.45 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $420.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $379.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $346.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $40.92 billion, a PE ratio of 103.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.19.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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 research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was 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 owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

About Waters

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.