California Public Employees Retirement System Grows Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 25.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,074 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Waters were worth $41,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters during the first quarter valued at $30,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on WAT shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Waters Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of WAT opened at $357.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $35.08 billion, a PE ratio of 45.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $362.28 and a 200 day moving average of $346.08. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

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.