Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Raises Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 3,776.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,102 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,635 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Waters were worth $6,876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at about $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:WAT opened at $342.83 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $317.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $351.55. The company has a market cap of $33.66 billion, a PE ratio of 43.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. 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, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WAT. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.