Lincoln Capital LLC Takes Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Lincoln Capital LLC purchased a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $457,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 112.3% during the 4th quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after buying an additional 656,436 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 509.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,906,000 after acquiring an additional 561,047 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 1,611.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after acquiring an additional 547,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $204,619,000 after acquiring an additional 516,094 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group raised their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.37.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT traded up $0.22 during trading on Friday, hitting $377.35. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 502,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,968. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The firm has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $358.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

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.