Heartland Advisors Inc. Boosts Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 96.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,002 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,175,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $412.37 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $381.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $347.24. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.77 and a 12-month high of $421.74. The firm has a market cap of $40.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.84, a PEG ratio of 2.35 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.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.Waters’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WAT shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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.