Swedbank AB Boosts Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Waters Corporation by 58.3% in the first quarter, buying 24,601 additional shares and bringing its total to 66,799 shares worth about $19.9 million.
• Analyst sentiment on Waters remains generally positive, with several firms raising price targets and the stock holding a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The average price target is currently $403.60.
• Waters posted better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, reporting EPS of $2.70 versus estimates of $2.31 and revenue of $1.27 billion versus expectations of $1.20 billion. The company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $14.40 to $14.60 EPS.

Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 58.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,799 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 24,601 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.07% of Waters worth $19,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,890,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on WAT. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Waters in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $403.60.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock opened at $377.42 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $357.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.69. The company has a market capitalization of $37.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.96, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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