OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd Acquires 14,754 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd increased its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 18.4% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 95,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 14,754 shares during the period. Waters makes up 0.8% of OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd’s holdings in Waters were worth $35,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth $3,182,191,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 27.0% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $488,028,000 after purchasing an additional 348,379 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $602,921,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Waters by 32.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after purchasing an additional 359,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its position in Waters by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,447,000 after purchasing an additional 656,436 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 2.5%

WAT opened at $405.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $39.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 101.15, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $380.64 and its 200-day moving average is $346.78. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $282.77 and a 1-year high of $421.74.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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.