Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 125,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 6,715 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.21% of Waters worth $47,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the third quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Waters by 510.3% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $355.12 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $310.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $352.26. The firm has a market cap of $34.86 billion, a PE ratio of 45.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters's revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $460.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $395.12.

About Waters

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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