Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Increases Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich raised its stake in Waters by 56.0% in Q4, acquiring an additional 4,006 shares for a total holding of 11,157 shares valued at about $4.284 million.
• Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares on March 16 at an average price of $289.46 (a $144,730 transaction), increasing his direct holdings by 17% to 3,441 shares (worth roughly $996,032).
• Waters beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $4.53 vs. $4.50 and revenue of $932.36M (up 6.9% year-over-year), and issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 14.30–14.50, near analyst consensus of ~14.38.

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 56.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,157 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 4,006 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich's holdings in Waters were worth $4,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Waters by 510.3% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waters Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE WAT opened at $310.39 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $311.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $352.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $30.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.82, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.10 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $387.53.

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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