Ethic Inc. Raises Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 24.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,112 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in 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. Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America increased 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT opened at $414.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $376.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $345.85. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $282.77 and a 1 year high of $420.26. The stock has a market cap of $40.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 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 0.50.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.