Assetmark Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 440.3% in the first quarter, ending with 9,645 shares valued at about $2.87 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their holdings, and hedge funds and institutions now own 94.01% of Waters’ stock.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive, with Waters carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $401.60; the company also recently beat earnings and revenue expectations.

Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 440.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,645 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 7,860 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in Waters were worth $2,872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 76.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,788,000 after buying an additional 2,603 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co grew its holdings in Waters by 2.3% during the first quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 18,305.6% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 488,854 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $146,602,000 after acquiring an additional 486,198 shares during the period. Delta Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in Waters by 12.0% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 7,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,261,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WAT. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.60.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT opened at $382.38 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $364.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $345.93. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $37.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.59, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share 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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