Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.49 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,489,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Waters by 112.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 3.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Waters by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at about $232,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore raised shares of Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Four research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.68.

Waters Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:WAT opened at $378.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $350.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $346.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waters 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.