Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 8,590 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.68% of Waters worth $602,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 225.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $465,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074,449 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $175,320,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after purchasing an additional 359,596 shares during the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,185,898,000 after purchasing an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $92,489,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup began coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waters Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $384.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $323.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $351.18. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $37.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.81, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

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.