Czech National Bank Grows Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Waters were worth $10,481,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waters reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.05 per share, exceeding the $3.01 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.65 billion versus expectations of $1.62 billion. Management issued third-quarter earnings guidance of $3.95–$4.05 per share and maintained full-year guidance of $14.45–$14.65 per share. Waters Corporation 2026 Q2 Results Earnings Call Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable following the results. Barclays raised its price target to $460 and kept an “overweight” rating, while Morgan Stanley set a $430 target. Waters has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $418.10. Waters analyst ratings and price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional activity included new positions from several investment firms, and institutions collectively own approximately 94% of Waters’ outstanding shares, signaling substantial professional-investor support. Waters insider and institutional activity
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock is trading close to its 52-week high and well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Its price-to-earnings ratio of about 101 suggests investors are already pricing in significant future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares for approximately $1.44 million, reducing his direct ownership by 16.92%. The transaction does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook, but it may create modest sentiment pressure. Waters director stock sale

Waters Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE:WAT opened at $406.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $373.23 and a 200 day moving average of $345.56. The firm has a market cap of $39.96 billion, a PE ratio of 101.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WAT. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $418.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.