Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Increases Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,328 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:WAT opened at $414.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $376.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $345.85. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $282.77 and a fifty-two week high of $420.26.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Waters from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $420.35.

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.