Aberdeen Group plc Acquires 12,570 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group increased its Waters position by 10% in the second quarter, purchasing 12,570 shares and bringing its holdings to 138,104 shares valued at approximately $51.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of Waters.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with Waters carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $420.35. TD Cowen upgraded the stock to “Buy” and raised its target to $475.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 in adjusted EPS versus the $3.01 consensus and $1.65 billion in revenue versus $1.62 billion expected. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45 to $14.65.

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,104 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 12,570 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.14% of Waters worth $51,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WAT. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Waters by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at about $232,000. Milford Funds Ltd. grew its holdings in Waters by 103.1% during the second quarter. Milford Funds Ltd. now owns 135,437 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $50,794,000 after acquiring an additional 68,768 shares during the period. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $303,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters 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 value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen upgraded Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $420.35.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $411.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $377.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $346.31. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.77 and a 52-week high of $420.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.86.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. 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 forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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