Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Acquires 13,540 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 184.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,540 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Waters were worth $6,222,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,222,000 after purchasing an additional 28,074 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in Waters by 329.0% in the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Waters by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,045,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares during the last quarter. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at about $942,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in 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 valued at $24,413,000 after buying an additional 60,626 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of WAT opened at $379.37 on Thursday. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $345.36. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Barclays upped their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.

Waters Company 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.