Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $2.60 Million Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 87.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 4,065 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in Waters by 329.0% during the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Waters by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,848 shares in the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,591,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Waters by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $376.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $37.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $360.75 and its 200-day moving average is $346.51. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.60.

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.