Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Newly Acquired by Jackson Square Capital LLC

Jackson Square Capital LLC bought a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,760 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $3,410,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BDF Gestion purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth approximately $2,160,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Waters by 3.3% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Waters by 10.5% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 29.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,382,008 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,643,428,000 after purchasing an additional 19,998 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:WAT traded down $2.20 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $434.75. 181,855 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 959,684. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $420.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $376.76. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $454.54. The company has a market capitalization of $42.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.46, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $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. On average, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christopher 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 transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $443.79.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.