SEB Asset Management AB Invests $5.62 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 18,861 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $5,617,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Waters by 112.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,733,000 after buying an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 16.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $415,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth about $232,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. 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 report on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.60.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $370.93 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $363.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $345.93. The company has a market cap of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.13, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.20. 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 (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. Research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

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.