Hikari Power Ltd Invests $1.79 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

Hikari Power Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,780 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,793,000. Waters makes up approximately 0.2% of Hikari Power Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Waters by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $488,028,000 after buying an additional 348,379 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 17.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $303,556,000 after acquiring an additional 148,320 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $411.88 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $40.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.71, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $420.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $377.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $345.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

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.