Hahn Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 5,002 Waters Corporation $WAT

Hahn Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,000. Waters makes up about 0.9% of Hahn Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $368.82 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $362.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $346.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market cap of $36.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.86, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Waters from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

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.