California State Teachers Retirement System Has $20.35 Billion Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its Waters position by 35,116.4% to 54.25 million shares, valued at approximately $20.35 billion and representing a 55.22% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Waters receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $424.35; targets range as high as $475.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.05 versus $3.01 estimated and revenue of $1.65 billion versus $1.62 billion expected. Revenue increased 113.3% year over year, while management issued full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45–$14.65.

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 35,116.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,254,036 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 54,099,977 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 55.22% of Waters worth $20,347,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pilgrim Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the second quarter worth approximately $466,131,171,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,182,191,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $623,921,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $488,028,000 after buying an additional 348,379 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $602,921,000 after buying an additional 8,590 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $424.35.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT opened at $409.39 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $282.77 and a 1-year high of $426.22. The company has a market cap of $40.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.09, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.19. The company's fifty day moving average price is $392.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $352.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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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