Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Makes New Investment in Waters Corporation $WAT

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 26,338 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $11,573,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 3.5% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Waters by 2.8% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 910 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 3.7% in the third quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 786 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Waters by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Waters from $465.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group upgraded Waters from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $375.00 to $490.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $475.48.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $467.99 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $433.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $371.53. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $282.77 and a 1 year high of $482.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.98 billion, a PE ratio of 200.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.16.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.10. Waters had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.40 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 120.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.61 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results topped expectations. Waters reported adjusted EPS of $4.10 versus about $4.00 expected and revenue of $1.77 billion versus $1.75 billion expected. Organic revenue grew 9% (10% in constant currency); reported revenue growth of 120.9% also reflected acquisitions. Waters Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 outlook and outlined growth beyond this year. The earnings-call framework pointed to high-single-digit growth and a 29.2% adjusted operating margin for 2027, reinforcing expectations for continued expansion. Earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets after the results. Citi raised its target to $536 and kept a Buy rating; TD Cowen and Barclays moved to $530, while RBC set $525. These revisions signal improved confidence in Waters’ prospects. Citi analyst actions
• Positive Sentiment: MOBILion Systems acquisition expands Waters’ proteomics capabilities. Its ion-mobility technology complements Waters’ mass-spectrometry platform and is aimed at research workflows that need faster, higher-resolution data. MOBILion acquisition announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan lifted its price target to $470 but retained a Neutral rating, indicating less near-term upside in its view. JPMorgan analyst action
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation may limit further gains: the supplied market data puts WAT’s P/E at 116.71, and recent commentary has questioned whether the shares already reflect the improved outlook. Waters valuation commentary

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.