Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Invests $1.58 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co acquired a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,583,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 1.6%

WAT opened at $414.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.86. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $282.77 and a one year high of $426.22. The company has a market cap of $40.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.38, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $387.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $348.45.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The firm’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.95 earnings per share. 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, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. HSBC upped their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $424.35.

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.