BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Buys New Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,716 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $4,070,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE WAT opened at $371.90 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $325.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.93. 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 quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market cap of $36.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.71.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.