Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Increases Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lifted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 325.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,481 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. HSBC boosted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.

Waters Stock Up 0.8%

WAT stock opened at $378.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $361.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $346.38. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.12 billion, a PE ratio of 48.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. 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 analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.