KBC Group NV Increases Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its Waters Corporation stake by 40.5% in the first quarter, adding 6,793 shares to reach 23,570 shares valued at about $7.0 million.
• Institutional ownership remains extremely high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 94.01% of Waters’ stock; several large investors also significantly increased their positions.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but constructive, with Waters carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60, while the stock recently traded at $370.93 after beating earnings and revenue estimates in its latest quarter.

KBC Group NV increased its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 40.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 6,793 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Waters were worth $7,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its position in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $471,447,000 after buying an additional 656,436 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Waters by 509.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $254,906,000 after acquiring an additional 561,047 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Waters by 1,611.3% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $220,705,000 after purchasing an additional 547,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $204,619,000 after acquiring an additional 516,094 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WAT. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $410.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.60.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $370.93 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $363.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $345.93. 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 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.20.

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. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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. On average, analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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