Waters Corporation $WAT Stock Position Raised by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 224,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,958 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $66,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. HSBC boosted their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $374.49 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $365.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $346.13. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 47.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.20.

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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

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.