Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Buys 4,446 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 65.2% in the first quarter, buying 4,446 additional shares to bring its total to 11,266 shares worth about $3.36 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or initiated positions in Waters, and institutions now own 94.01% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts remain constructive on WAT, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $400.37; the company also recently reported earnings and revenue that beat expectations.

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 65.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,266 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 4,446 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund's holdings in Waters were worth $3,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 62.8% in the 1st quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,050 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $270,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $64,000. Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter worth about $222,000. Finally, Delta Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth about $272,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $400.37.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded up $0.22 on Friday, hitting $377.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 502,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,968. The company has a market capitalization of $37.05 billion, a PE ratio of 47.95, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $358.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.91.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Waters's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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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