Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Buys 4,065 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 87.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,065 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $602,921,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Waters by 32.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after buying an additional 359,596 shares in the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its stake in Waters by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,447,000 after buying an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $265,751,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 509.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $254,906,000 after buying an additional 561,047 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $376.81 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $360.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $346.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $37.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC raised their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

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.