Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Takes $942,000 Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. opened a new position in Waters Corporation during the first quarter, buying 3,162 shares valued at about $942,000.
• Institutional ownership in Waters remains very high, with 94.01% of the stock held by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Waters reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $2.70 versus the $2.31 estimate and revenue of $1.27 billion versus $1.20 billion expected; analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average target of $403.60.

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $942,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 543.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $14,146,000 after purchasing an additional 31,459 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 12.2% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 231,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $69,512,000 after buying an additional 25,182 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 valued at $1,631,000 after buying an additional 3,293 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Waters by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $5,177,000 after buying an additional 1,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,591,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WAT. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price 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 company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $403.60.

Waters Stock Up 2.5%

NYSE:WAT opened at $377.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $357.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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