OP Asset Management Ltd Invests $2.99 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,053 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,994,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, 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 target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued 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 $396.68.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $374.97 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $36.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $346.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $347.52. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.