Nordea Investment Management AB Purchases 1,848 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 15.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,848 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Waters were worth $5,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,295,612,000 after buying an additional 246,128 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Waters by 31.0% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after acquiring an additional 950,687 shares during the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP increased its holdings in Waters by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,185,898,000 after acquiring an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Waters by 44.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 825,723 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Waters by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after purchasing an additional 37,763 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of WAT opened at $300.65 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $29.49 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $335.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $350.84.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. Waters’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.10 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.63.

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.