Virtu Financial LLC Buys New Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,645 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,005,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 543.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 25,182 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in Waters by 329.0% during the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of Waters by 204.3% during the third quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 14,301 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,155,000 after purchasing an additional 9,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 12.6% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 250,024 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,960,000 after purchasing an additional 27,990 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $356.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. 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 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $342.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $348.22.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during 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 was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. Research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. HSBC boosted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.56.

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.