Avidity Partners Management LP Acquires Shares of 8,100 Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Avidity Partners Management opened a new position in Waters Corporation in the fourth quarter, buying 8,100 shares worth about $3.08 million. The stake represents 0.9% of Avidity’s portfolio and its 26th largest holding.
• Waters continues to attract institutional interest, with several other funds increasing holdings and 94.01% of shares now owned by hedge funds and other institutions. Insider ownership remains low at 0.31%.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive on Waters, with an average Moderate Buy rating and a consensus price target of $394.56. The company also beat earnings estimates in its latest quarter and raised guidance for fiscal 2026.

Avidity Partners Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 8,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,077,000. Waters accounts for 0.9% of Avidity Partners Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore raised shares of Waters from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. 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 report on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $394.56.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $355.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $34.87 billion, a PE ratio of 45.12, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $337.69 and a 200 day moving average of $350.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.