Ancora Advisors LLC Buys 7,457 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Ancora Advisors increased its Waters position by 82.1% in the second quarter, acquiring 7,457 additional shares for a total holding of 16,543 shares valued at approximately $6.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of WAT.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Waters receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $420.35; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Waters beat quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.05 versus $3.01 forecast and revenue of $1.65 billion, up 113.3% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45 to $14.65.

Ancora Advisors LLC raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 82.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 7,457 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $6,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $420.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $414.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $40.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.34, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $282.77 and a fifty-two week high of $421.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $383.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $347.45.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm's revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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