Allstate Corp Acquires 2,348 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Allstate Corp raised its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 117.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,344 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,348 shares during the period. Allstate Corp’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at about $61,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.00.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $367.28 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $321.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $350.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.06 billion, a PE ratio of 46.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.