Quantitative Investment Management LLC Buys Shares of 8,723 Waters Corporation $WAT

Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 8,723 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,615,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Waters by 111.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 18,886 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,662,000 after buying an additional 9,963 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Waters by 32.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after buying an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at about $7,672,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Waters by 6.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 113,018 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $33,884,000 after acquiring an additional 6,869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Waters by 12.2% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 231,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,512,000 after acquiring an additional 25,182 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a “hold” rating and a $360.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.84.

Waters Trading Down 4.7%

Waters stock opened at $283.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $354.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.90. The company has a market capitalization of $27.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.10 EPS. Waters’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

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.