Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 2,372 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,664 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,372 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,698,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Waters by 41.9% in the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 13,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,138,000 after buying an additional 4,077 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $175,320,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 5.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $44,004,000 after purchasing an additional 5,980 shares during the last quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 46.4% during the third quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 2,471 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $1,624,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $321.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $378.05 and a 200-day moving average of $348.63. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.18.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The business had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.68.

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.