Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $35.12 Million Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 93.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,145 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Waters were worth $35,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its position in shares of Waters by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Waters by 509.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $254,906,000 after acquiring an additional 561,047 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1,611.3% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $220,705,000 after acquiring an additional 547,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $204,619,000 after acquiring an additional 516,094 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 0.8%

WAT opened at $414.95 on Wednesday. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $278.49 and a fifty-two week high of $415.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.48, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50-day moving average is $374.80 and its 200 day moving average is $345.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.35.

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.