10,762 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Purchased by Nuance Investments LLC

Key Points

• Nuance Investments LLC purchased 10,762 Waters shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $4.0 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.01% of the company.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 EPS versus the $3.01 consensus and $1.65 billion in revenue versus $1.62 billion expected. Revenue increased 113.3% year over year, and the company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45–$14.65.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $420.35, compared with the stock’s reported opening price of $407.75. A company director separately sold 3,626 shares for approximately $1.44 million.

Nuance Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,762 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $4,036,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,890,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $407.75 on Tuesday. 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 Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.77 and a 52 week high of $420.26. The company's 50-day moving average price is $378.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on WAT. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $420.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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