Willis Investment Counsel Buys 2,282 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel increased its Waters stake by 5.8% in the third quarter, purchasing 2,282 shares and bringing its holdings to 41,642 shares valued at approximately $18.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.01% of the company.
• Waters shares recently traded at $445.21, near their 52-week high of $454.54, after rising $10.94 in midday trading. The company exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.05 in EPS and $1.65 billion in revenue.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with several firms raising price targets to between $490 and $515; the average target is $443.79. Director Christopher Kuebler separately sold 3,626 shares, while insiders own 0.31% of the stock.

Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,282 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel's holdings in Waters were worth $18,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Waters by 25.4% during the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,222,000 after acquiring an additional 28,074 shares during the period. Dudley & Shanley Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 101.3% in the second quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $8,847,000 after acquiring an additional 11,870 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $942,000. Hahn Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,490,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Waters by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $465.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Waters from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $440.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $443.79.

Waters Price Performance

WAT traded up $10.94 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $445.21. 289,505 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 957,696. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $421.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $377.73. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.77 and a 52-week high of $454.54. The company has a market capitalization of $43.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.97, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.15. 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 (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. The company'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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company 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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