Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 45,145 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 93.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,145 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.10% of Waters worth $35,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 656,436 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew 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 purchasing an additional 561,047 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Waters by 1,611.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after buying an additional 547,109 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $204,619,000 after buying an additional 516,094 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $414.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $40.74 billion, a PE ratio of 103.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $278.49 and a 52-week high of $415.63. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $374.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $345.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target 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 price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. HSBC raised their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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.