iA Global Asset Management Inc. Raises Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

by · The Markets Daily

iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) by 825.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 14,357 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $6,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in Waters by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,222,000 after acquiring an additional 28,074 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in shares of Waters by 329.0% in the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares during the last quarter. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $942,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Finally, Dudley & Shanley Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 101.3% in the second quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,847,000 after purchasing an additional 11,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WAT

Insider Activity at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $414.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $376.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $345.85. The company has a market cap of $40.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.19. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.77 and a 12-month high of $420.26.

Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

Waters Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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