1,913 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Acquired by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 1,913 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $570,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded up $0.22 on Friday, hitting $377.35. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 502,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,968. The company has a market capitalization of $37.05 billion, a PE ratio of 47.95, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $358.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.91. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.Waters’s revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $400.37.

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.