3,649 Shares in Waters Corporation $WAT Acquired by ASO GROUP Ltd

ASO GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 3,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,386,000. Waters makes up 0.5% of ASO GROUP Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $638,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in Waters by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $359.80 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $336.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $350.23. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $35.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.72, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $394.56.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.