Sone Capital Management LLC Invests $22.77 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

Sone Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 60,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $22,767,000. Waters comprises 1.7% of Sone Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of 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 period. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price target on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $410.79 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $40.36 billion, a PE ratio of 102.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $382.85 and a 200-day moving average of $347.24. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $282.77 and a 1-year high of $421.74.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.