Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Buys 3,789 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 28.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,218 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,789 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Waters were worth $5,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Waters by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 332,447 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,675,000 after purchasing an additional 117,098 shares during the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,591,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,462,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,442,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $112,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WAT. Barclays initiated coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price objective on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, HSBC began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.84.

Waters Trading Down 0.0%

WAT opened at $299.48 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $342.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $351.11. The firm has a market cap of $29.38 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

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.