Trust Co. of Vermont Makes New Investment in Waters Corporation $WAT

Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 6,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Waters by 25.4% during the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,222,000 after buying an additional 28,074 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its position in shares of Waters by 329.0% in the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,631,000 after buying an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth about $942,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in shares of Waters by 1,662.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 64,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $24,413,000 after acquiring an additional 60,626 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:WAT opened at $407.75 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $378.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $346.12. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.77 and a 52 week high of $420.26. 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 stock has a market cap of $40.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 101.68, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.95 earnings per share. 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 research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $420.35.

Waters 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.