GAMMA Investing LLC Boosts Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 58.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,618 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,707 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its position in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $418.10.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $399.62 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $39.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 99.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $372.78 and a 200-day moving average of $345.13.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current 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.