Heartland Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 12,461 Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Waters Corporation, buying 12,461 shares worth about $3.71 million.
• Institutional ownership in Waters remains very high, with 94.01% of shares held by hedge funds and other institutions; several smaller firms also recently added positions.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $401.60, while Waters also recently beat earnings and revenue expectations.

Heartland Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,711,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. 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 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $410.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.60.

Waters Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $368.82 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $36.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The business's 50 day moving average is $362.09 and its 200-day moving average is $346.27.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm's revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. 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 14.51 earnings per share 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.