Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC Purchases Shares of 7,906 Waters Corporation $WAT

Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,965,000. Waters accounts for about 2.5% of Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its position in Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Waters by 2.3% during the first quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $401.78 on Wednesday. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $420.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $378.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $346.24. The company has a market cap of $39.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 100.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $420.35.

About Waters

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.