Welch & Forbes LLC Has $2.26 Million Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Welch & Forbes LLC raised its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 103.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,863 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in Waters by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in Waters by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised 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 valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $377.35 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $358.80 and its 200-day moving average is $346.64. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Bank of America raised their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $400.37.

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.