Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Has $5.93 Million Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 10.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,068 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,499 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $5,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Waters during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its stake in Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Waters

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

Waters Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $414.55 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $282.77 and a one year high of $426.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $387.53 and a 200-day moving average of $348.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market cap of $40.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.95 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $424.35.

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.