Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Boosts Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 62.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,874 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,231 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,492,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its position in Waters by 10,200.0% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:WAT opened at $378.00 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $37.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $349.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $346.85.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $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. Analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore upgraded Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.68.

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.