Janus Henderson Group PLC Grows Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 27.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 348,379 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 1.67% of Waters worth $488,028,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $602,921,000 after buying an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Waters by 32.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after buying an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP raised its stake in Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after buying an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 17.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $303,556,000 after acquiring an additional 148,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Waters by 60.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 814,716 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $242,599,000 after acquiring an additional 307,941 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently 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. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Finally, HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Waters Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $379.37 on Thursday. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $37.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.20, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $367.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $345.36.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities analysts predict 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.