State Street Corp Raises Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• State Street increased its Waters position by 0.5% in the second quarter, holding 4.38 million shares valued at approximately $1.64 billion, or 4.46% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of Waters.
• Waters reported quarterly EPS of $3.05 and revenue of $1.65 billion, exceeding analyst estimates; revenue rose 113.3% year over year. The company issued Q3 and full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $3.95–$4.05 and $14.45–$14.65, respectively.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $434.60, while Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares worth about $1.44 million.

State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 0.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,382,008 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 19,998 shares during the period. State Street Corp owned 4.46% of Waters worth $1,643,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. First Bancorp Inc ME acquired a new position in Waters during the second quarter worth $30,000. Caitlin John LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 43.9% during the second quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Up 0.4%

WAT opened at $425.78 on Wednesday. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.77 and a 52 week high of $433.09. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $401.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $359.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $41.83 billion, a PE ratio of 106.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. Waters's quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Waters from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $434.60.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation NYSE: WAT develops and manufactures analytical workflow technologies used to measure, characterize and manage chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, industrial organizations, academic institutions and government laboratories.

The company's portfolio includes liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis instruments, along with chromatography columns, consumables, laboratory software and services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.