Madison Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management increased its Waters holdings by 2.6% in the second quarter, adding 7,207 shares to own 279,856 shares worth approximately $105 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of Waters.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $420.35 average price target, while targets range from $375 to $440. Director Christopher A. Kuebler separately sold 3,626 shares for about $1.44 million.
• Waters recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 in EPS versus the $3.01 consensus and $1.65 billion in revenue versus $1.62 billion expected. The stock opened at $416.45, near its 12-month high of $420.26.

Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 279,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 7,207 shares during the quarter. Waters accounts for approximately 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Madison Asset Management LLC owned 0.29% of Waters worth $104,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Danske Bank A S raised its stake in Waters by 1.0% during the second quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 42,179 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,819,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth $4,373,000. Foster & Motley Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth $215,000. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,965,000. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth about $217,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Waters from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $420.35.

Waters Trading Up 3.8%

WAT stock opened at $416.45 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $420.26. The firm's 50-day moving average is $379.73 and its 200 day moving average is $346.54. The company has a market capitalization of $40.92 billion, a PE ratio of 103.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. 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, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

About Waters

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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