Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Bought by State of Michigan Retirement System

State of Michigan Retirement System raised its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 65.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,522 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in Waters were worth $7,957,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Waters by 543.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 3,293 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Waters by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,848 shares during the period. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,591,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Down 0.3%

WAT opened at $375.25 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month 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. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $361.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.44. The company has a market cap of $36.85 billion, a PE ratio of 47.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC raised their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

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.