AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Takes Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd disclosed a new position in Waters Corporation, buying 46,834 shares worth about $17.8 million in the fourth quarter and ending with 0.08% ownership.
• Waters also saw steady institutional interest and some insider buying, including Director Wei Jiang purchasing 500 shares in March, boosting their stake by 17%.
• The company reported better-than-expected Q1 results with EPS of $2.70 and revenue of $1.27 billion, and it raised guidance for Q2 2026 and FY 2026. Analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $396.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 46,834 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $17,789,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.08% of Waters at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $638,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of Waters by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $665,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waters Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of WAT stock opened at $329.20 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $313.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $351.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. 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 research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Three 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $396.00.

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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