Insider Buying: Waters (NYSE:WAT) Director Buys 500 Shares of Stock

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE WAT traded down $1.69 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $295.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 962,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,106,271. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company’s 50-day moving average is $348.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $351.50. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $28.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The firm had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.10 EPS. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Waters by 225.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $465,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074,449 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Waters by 31.0% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,403,615,000 after purchasing an additional 950,687 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $806,397,000 after buying an additional 825,723 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $266,384,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 656,436 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings and guidance support: Waters beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates in its Feb. 9 report and set FY26 EPS guidance (14.30–14.50) and Q1 guidance (2.25–2.35), providing near-term fundamental support for the stock. (Earnings release and guidance referenced from company disclosures.)
• Positive Sentiment: Insider purchase signals confidence: Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares at an average $289.46 on March 16, increasing their stake ~17%, which can signal management-level confidence to investors. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Large $3.5B senior notes offering raises leverage concerns: Waters’ subsidiary Augusta SpinCo priced $3.5 billion of senior notes across 2027–2036 maturities (coupons ~4.32%–5.25%). While debt can be used for refinancing or strategic moves, the size and additional interest burden increase leverage and could pressure equity valuation until the use of proceeds and credit impact are clear. Waters Prices Offering of Senior Notes

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $363.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.84.

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.