Amundi Increases Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 20.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 432,146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,300 shares during the period. Amundi’s holdings in Waters were worth $128,693,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Waters by 112.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 3.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 16.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $232,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.7%

WAT stock opened at $377.75 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $369.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $345.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

About Waters

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.