Pinnacle Associates Ltd. Buys 9,163 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 9,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $4,026,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 16.7% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 61,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,923,000 after acquiring an additional 8,750 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Waters by 5.8% in the third quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 41,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $18,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,282 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Waters by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,995,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at about $695,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $455.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 113.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.15. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.77 and a 52 week high of $465.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.86. The company’s fifty day moving average is $423.54 and its 200-day moving average is $380.89.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Waters from $440.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Waters from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Waters from $465.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $443.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.