Rhumbline Advisers Buys 7,636 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 132,795 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,636 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.22% of Waters worth $39,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Waters by 65.4% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Waters by 510.3% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. Barclays began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.68.

Key Stories Impacting Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and upbeat guidance — Waters posted $4.53 EPS vs. $4.50 est. and revenue of $932.4M (up ~7% y/y); management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $14.30–$14.50 and Q1 guidance of $2.25–$2.35, citing strength in Pharma and Europe. This is the main fundamental catalyst for the stock rally. Waters Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: New/expanded analyst coverage — Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and $400 PT (significant upside vs. current levels), and firms including Guggenheim, Citigroup and Evercore also initiated or reiterated coverage, adding buying interest and liquidity. Barclays Overweight on WAT
• Positive Sentiment: Technicals suggest a potential rebound — commentary notes the stock was materially oversold over the past month, increasing the chance of a technical bounce as analysts raise estimates. This may have amplified short‑covering and buyer interest. Down 19.0% in 4 Weeks, Here’s Why Waters Looks Ripe for a Turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy/legislative mention unrelated to the company — A bill introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters on hydrofluoric acid in refineries is circulating; this concerns refineries, not Waters Corporation (analytical instruments), so it’s unlikely to affect WAT’s fundamentals. H.R. 7384 Bill Text
• Neutral Sentiment: Personal news about an unrelated individual with the surname Waters — irrelevant to company performance or stock. Personal announcement (unrelated)
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America cut its price target to $350 — a downward revision that could temper upside and indicates some analyst caution despite the beat; investors should weigh this alongside other bullish initiations. BofA Lowers WAT Price Target

Waters Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $323.91 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $380.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $347.83.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.10 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current 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.