Waters Corporation $WAT Stock Acquired by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer significantly increased its Waters position by 1,510.8% in the third quarter, adding 186,216 shares to own 198,542 shares valued at approximately $87.4 million.
• Waters shares opened at $461.42, near their 12-month high of $482.28. The company recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations and issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45–$14.65.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $457.50; however, a Waters director sold 3,626 shares, and insiders own just 0.31% of the stock.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 1,510.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 198,542 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 186,216 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned about 0.20% of Waters worth $87,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 220,471 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $96,873,000 after acquiring an additional 6,326 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $11,573,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,967 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $7,016,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 87.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,059 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $905,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 57.1% in the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $461.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 115.07, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $482.28. The stock's 50 day moving average is $430.41 and its 200-day moving average is $370.55.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm 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. Equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $440.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on Waters from $410.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $457.50.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation NYSE: WAT develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company's product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.

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