Norges Bank Invests $265.75 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new stake in Waters Corporation, buying 699,659 shares valued at about $265.75 million and ending with roughly 1.17% ownership of the company.
• Waters reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.70 versus $2.31 expected and revenue of $1.27 billion versus $1.20 billion estimated. Revenue jumped 91.4% year over year, and the company also issued Q2 and full-year 2026 guidance.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus. Waters also saw a director purchase shares, while institutional investors now own 94.01% of the stock.

Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 699,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $265,751,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.17% of Waters as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its position in Waters by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Waters by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in Waters by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE WAT opened at $371.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $36.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.21. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $325.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $350.93. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. 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 analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $425.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $395.71.

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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