New York State Teachers Retirement System Purchases 27,815 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 57.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 76,471 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,815 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.08% of Waters worth $22,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 543.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Waters by 12.2% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 231,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,512,000 after acquiring an additional 25,182 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in Waters by 329.0% in the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Waters by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,591,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.2%

Waters stock opened at $378.62 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $347.02.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.68.

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.