Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Acquires 11,499 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 64.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,424 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 11,499 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Waters were worth $8,762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Waters in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew 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. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $410.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.60.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $371.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $366.00 and a 200 day moving average of $345.58. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15. The firm has a market cap of $36.44 billion, a PE ratio of 47.16, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS 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.