Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Buys 80,390 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 278.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 109,218 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 80,390 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Waters were worth $32,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 36.9% in the first quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 534 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $724,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Finally, A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $237,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:WAT opened at $374.97 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $346.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $347.52. The company has a market capitalization of $36.82 billion, a PE ratio of 47.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.25 EPS. Waters’s revenue 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, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.68.

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.