Meridiem Capital Partners LP Takes $20.62 Million Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Meridiem Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 68,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $20,623,000. Waters accounts for approximately 1.3% of Meridiem Capital Partners LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Meridiem Capital Partners LP owned approximately 0.12% of Waters as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,295,612,000 after purchasing an additional 246,128 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 31.0% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after buying an additional 950,687 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Waters by 44.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $806,397,000 after buying an additional 825,723 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Waters by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after buying an additional 37,763 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 2.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,552,399 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $539,606,000 after buying an additional 42,202 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WAT. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research raised Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.84.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT traded up $1.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $285.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 70,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,089,514. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $354.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.90. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The business had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.10 EPS. Waters’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.