Tredje AP fonden Boosts Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Tredje AP fonden increased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 23.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,721 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 115.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Waters by 510.3% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:WAT opened at $332.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $32.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $351.68.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.00.

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.