Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Waters stake by 431% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 7,954 shares valued at approximately $2.37 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.01% of Waters stock.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $3.05 versus the $3.01 consensus and revenue of approximately $1.65 billion versus $1.62 billion expected. The company also raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $14.45–$14.65.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Waters receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $418.10. Shares opened at $398.14, near the analyst target but below the 52-week high of $414.15.

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 431.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,954 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 6,456 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $2,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Waters by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares in the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its position in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the 4th quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $471,447,000 after purchasing an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $303,556,000 after purchasing an additional 148,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 60.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 814,716 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $242,599,000 after purchasing an additional 307,941 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price target on Waters in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC lifted their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $418.10.

Waters Stock Up 0.5%

WAT opened at $398.14 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $372.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $345.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $39.09 billion, a PE ratio of 99.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company's revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.95 EPS. 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 14.52 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waters reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.05, above the $3.01 consensus and up from $2.95 a year earlier. Revenue reached $1.645 billion, exceeding estimates of $1.62 billion and the company’s guidance range. Waters Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Revenue Growth View Raised
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook, including reported revenue guidance of approximately $6.415 billion to $6.476 billion and adjusted EPS guidance of $14.45 to $14.65. Management cited broad-based growth across its organic operations and recently acquired Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses. Waters Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Organic revenue rose 7% as reported, or 9% in constant currency. Analytical Sciences instrument growth reached 8%, while chemistry consumables posted double-digit growth, supported by improving pharmaceutical and industrial markets. The results suggest the end-market recovery is expanding beyond a limited set of customers.
• Positive Sentiment: William Blair maintained a Buy rating, citing broad-based end-market recovery and expected synergies from the acquired businesses. Recent institutional activity also showed substantial share additions by BlackRock, State Street and other large investors, although these holdings are not a direct near-term trading signal. Analyst Maintains Buy on Waters
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target from $370 to $400 but retained an Equal Weight rating, implying limited additional upside at recent trading levels. Wells Fargo Raises Waters Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion is slightly below the $1.8 billion consensus midpoint expectation, while Waters reported a GAAP loss tied largely to acquisition-related impacts. However, adjusted profitability remained above expectations.

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.

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.

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