North Dakota State Investment Board Makes New $776,000 Investment in Waters Corporation $WAT

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,042 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $776,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter worth about $61,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.00.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of WAT opened at $341.18 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $315.53 and its 200 day moving average is $351.67. The company has a market capitalization of $33.50 billion, a PE ratio of 43.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 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.