Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Purchased by Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.

Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 41.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 4,077 shares during the quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $4,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 510.3% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at about $496,000. Robeco Schweiz AG raised its position in Waters by 87.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 347,801 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $104,274,000 after purchasing an additional 162,341 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth about $300,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.00.

Waters Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $394.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.48 billion, a PE ratio of 36.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $389.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $340.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $780.05 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.93 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.050-13.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company 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.