Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 431.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,958 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,460 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday. 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 report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $418.10.

Key Headlines Impacting Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waters reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.05, above the $3.01 consensus and up from $2.95 a year earlier. Revenue reached $1.645 billion, exceeding estimates of $1.62 billion and the company’s guidance range. Waters Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Revenue Growth View Raised
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook, including reported revenue guidance of approximately $6.415 billion to $6.476 billion and adjusted EPS guidance of $14.45 to $14.65. Management cited broad-based growth across its organic operations and recently acquired Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses. Waters Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Organic revenue rose 7% as reported, or 9% in constant currency. Analytical Sciences instrument growth reached 8%, while chemistry consumables posted double-digit growth, supported by improving pharmaceutical and industrial markets. The results suggest the end-market recovery is expanding beyond a limited set of customers.
• Positive Sentiment: William Blair maintained a Buy rating, citing broad-based end-market recovery and expected synergies from the acquired businesses. Recent institutional activity also showed substantial share additions by BlackRock, State Street and other large investors, although these holdings are not a direct near-term trading signal. Analyst Maintains Buy on Waters
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target from $370 to $400 but retained an Equal Weight rating, implying limited additional upside at recent trading levels. Wells Fargo Raises Waters Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion is slightly below the $1.8 billion consensus midpoint expectation, while Waters reported a GAAP loss tied largely to acquisition-related impacts. However, adjusted profitability remained above expectations.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $398.14 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $372.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $345.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 99.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.52 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.