Quantinno Capital Management LP Purchases 5,652 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Quantinno Capital Management increased its Waters position by 8.4% in the first quarter, acquiring 5,652 additional shares for a total of 72,709 shares valued at approximately $21.7 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 94.01%, with several other investment firms also raising their stakes in Waters during the fourth quarter and first quarter.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $401.60. Waters recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.70 in EPS and $1.27 billion in revenue.

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 5,652 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.07% of Waters worth $21,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Waters by 25.4% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its position in Waters by 329.0% in the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,631,000 after buying an additional 3,293 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake 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. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $942,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $24,413,000 after acquiring an additional 60,626 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $401.60.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT opened at $377.75 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $369.30 and its 200 day moving average is $345.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $37.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.00, a PEG ratio of 2.28 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 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. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm's revenue 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, equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current 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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