Saudi Central Bank Purchases 3,254 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Saudi Central Bank increased its Waters Corporation stake by 89.6% in the second quarter, acquiring 3,254 additional shares for a total holding of 6,884 shares valued at approximately $2.58 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of Waters.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $424.35. Several analysts recently upgraded Waters and raised their targets to between $470 and $480.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 in adjusted EPS versus a $3.01 estimate and $1.65 billion in revenue versus $1.62 billion expected. The company also issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45–$14.65, while a director separately sold 3,626 shares.

Saudi Central Bank raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 89.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,884 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 3,254 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank's holdings in Waters were worth $2,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Waters during the second quarter worth $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Waters from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $400.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. TD Cowen raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $424.35.

Waters Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:WAT opened at $409.39 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $426.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm's 50 day moving average is $392.72 and its 200 day moving average is $352.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.22 billion, a PE ratio of 102.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.Waters's revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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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