8,484,939 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Purchased by BlackRock Inc.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,484,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,182,191,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 8.64% of Waters as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth approximately $75,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Waters during the second quarter worth approximately $156,335,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,334,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at $89,864,000. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth $343,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $401.78 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company's 50-day moving average price is $378.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.24. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.77 and a 52 week high of $420.26. The stock has a market cap of $39.47 billion, a PE ratio of 100.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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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