Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Purchased by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 0.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,958 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.23% of Waters worth $66,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in 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 period. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Down 2.1%

WAT stock opened at $374.49 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $365.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $346.13. 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 capitalization of $36.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.Waters’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. HSBC boosted their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.

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.