Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Acquires 11,499 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: The Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its Waters Corporation stake by 64.2% to 29,424 shares, while other funds also added positions. Institutions now own 94.01% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is favorable: Waters has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $401.60, with several firms recently raising their targets to between $425 and $435.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Waters reported adjusted earnings of $2.70 per share versus the $2.31 consensus estimate and revenue of $1.27 billion. Revenue increased 91.4% year over year, and management provided fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.40 to $14.60.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 64.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,424 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 11,499 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Waters were worth $8,762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 25.4% in the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,222,000 after buying an additional 28,074 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in Waters by 329.0% during the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Waters by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $942,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Waters by 1,662.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 64,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $24,413,000 after acquiring an additional 60,626 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $401.60.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $371.13 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average is $366.00 and its 200 day moving average is $345.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $36.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.16, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.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 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. Research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company 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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