Waters Corporation $WAT Stock Holdings Lifted by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 1,223.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,717 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $4,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Waters by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,222,000 after acquiring an additional 28,074 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in Waters by 329.0% during the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. purchased a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $942,000. Dudley & Shanley Inc. grew its stake in Waters by 101.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,847,000 after acquiring an additional 11,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $412.37 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a PE ratio of 102.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $381.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $347.02. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.77 and a 12-month high of $421.74.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. 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 analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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.