Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Buys 284,699 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 155.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 468,221 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 284,699 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $177,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Waters in the second quarter valued at $61,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.24.

Waters Stock Up 0.1%

WAT opened at $365.74 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $35.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.47, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.21. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $331.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $350.71.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the company’s 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 purchase, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.