Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Acquires 1,725 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 33.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,820 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,725 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 1.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,410,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,586,653,000 after acquiring an additional 138,511 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Waters by 31.0% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,403,615,000 after buying an additional 950,687 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Waters by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after buying an additional 37,763 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 2.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,552,399 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $539,606,000 after acquiring an additional 42,202 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at $266,384,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $393.63 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $388.13 and its 200 day moving average is $339.53. The stock has a market cap of $23.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results 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. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%.The business had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $780.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.93 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.050-13.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WAT shares. 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. Wolfe Research upgraded Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Rothschild Redb upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $390.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.00.

Waters 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.