First Nebraska Trust Co Invests $1.07 Million in Waters Corporation $WAT

First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,588 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,069,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $488,028,000 after buying an additional 348,379 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $602,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,590 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Waters by 32.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares during the period. Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 17.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,019,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $303,556,000 after acquiring an additional 148,320 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $377.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $369.30 and its 200 day moving average is $345.48.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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. Research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price objective 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.60.

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.