Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. Invests $496,000 in Waters Corporation $WAT

Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $496,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $73,733,000 after buying an additional 6,976 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $415,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth about $232,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $370.93 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $363.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $345.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.