Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.49 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,489,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Barclays upped their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.68.

Waters Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE WAT opened at $378.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a PE ratio of 48.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day moving average of $350.65 and a 200 day moving average of $346.80. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

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.