Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 307,941 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 60.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 814,716 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 307,941 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.83% of Waters worth $242,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 3.1%

WAT opened at $382.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $364.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $345.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.59, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $410.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

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.