Blair William & Co. IL Has $1.80 Million Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 59.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,003 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,246 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,800,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 112.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 3.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 16.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the second quarter worth about $232,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $283.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $27.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $354.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $350.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.Waters’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.10 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Wolfe Research raised Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $393.84.

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.