Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Makes New Investment in Waters Corporation $WAT

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC bought a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,073 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $617,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Waters by 543.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its holdings in Waters by 329.0% in the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,848 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 1,662.4% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 64,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $24,413,000 after purchasing an additional 60,626 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $357.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $362.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $35.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on WAT. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. HSBC raised their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three investment 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.