Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Acquired by Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 62.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 31,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 11,967 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth about $31,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its position in shares of Waters by 10,200.0% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Waters in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price target for the company. HSBC upped their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.37.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded up $0.22 on Friday, reaching $377.35. 502,288 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 878,968. The business’s 50-day moving average is $358.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week 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.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. The company’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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current 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.