Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Buys 1,562 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 9.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,562 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $7,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pilgrim Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $466,131,171,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Waters in the second quarter worth approximately $3,182,191,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Waters in the second quarter worth approximately $623,921,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Waters by 69.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,373,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $514,986,000 after acquiring an additional 561,824 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $188,725,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Down 2.9%

WAT stock opened at $454.19 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.62 billion, a PE ratio of 194.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $482.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $433.96 and its 200-day moving average is $371.87.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.10. Waters had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 1.75%. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.40 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 120.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $440.00 in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $500.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $475.48.

Key Headlines Impacting Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waters’ third-quarter performance and forward guidance reinforced RBC’s positive investment thesis. The company also reported adjusted EPS and revenue above consensus estimates. Waters’ Strong Q3 Performance, Forward Guidance Support Rating Thesis
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a 2027 framework targeting a 29.2% adjusted operating margin and a path to high-single-digit growth, signaling confidence in continued expansion. Waters outlines 2027 framework
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets after the results: Citi to $536, TD Cowen and Barclays to $530, RBC to $525, KeyCorp to $500, and JPMorgan to $470. Ratings ranged from buy/outperform to neutral, reflecting broadly improved—but not uniformly bullish—expectations. Citigroup recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: A separate valuation-focused report questioned whether Waters is fully priced following mixed earnings, suggesting expectations may already be high and limiting further upside. Is Waters fully priced?

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.