Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys Shares of 2,806 Waters Corporation $WAT

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,066,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 225.5% during the third quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $465,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074,449 shares in the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $175,320,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 32.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares in the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP raised its stake in shares of Waters by 9.6% during the third quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,185,898,000 after acquiring an additional 347,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $92,489,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on WAT shares. Evercore raised shares of Waters from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.00.

Waters Stock Up 7.3%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $367.28 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $321.97 and its 200 day moving average is $350.94. The company has a market cap of $36.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.67, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued 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. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’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, equities research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.