Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Acquires 87,057 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 63.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 223,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 87,057 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $66,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $638,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in Waters by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Waters in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.37.

Waters Trading Up 0.1%

WAT stock traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $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 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.95, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $358.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $346.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business’s revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current 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.