Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Takes Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 21,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $6,354,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Waters by 509.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $254,906,000 after purchasing an additional 561,047 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Waters by 1,611.3% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $220,705,000 after purchasing an additional 547,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $204,619,000 after purchasing an additional 516,094 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $357.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.08 billion, a PE ratio of 45.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $362.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.

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.