Cooke & Bieler LP Has $78.66 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Cooke & Bieler LP decreased its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 209,736 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 59,117 shares during the quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in Waters were worth $78,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.4%

WAT stock opened at $411.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $420.26. The company has a market cap of $40.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.71, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a fifty day moving average of $377.18 and a 200-day moving average of $346.31.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on WAT shares. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Waters from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.