Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC Purchases 2,291 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,101 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,291 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 41.9% during the third quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 13,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,138,000 after buying an additional 4,077 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at $175,320,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $44,004,000 after acquiring an additional 5,980 shares during the period. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,336,000 after acquiring an additional 2,471 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,624,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $323.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $379.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $348.42. The stock has a market cap of $19.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.18. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Wolfe Research raised Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.68.

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.