2,219 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Purchased by Long Road Investment Counsel LLC

Long Road Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $661,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.6% in the first 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 during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 16.6% in the first 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 during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the second quarter worth approximately $232,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $357.29 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $362.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $346.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.