Ranked by reported Q1 2026 13F market value
Share of total reported institutional value in WAT held by the largest 10 / 25 filers.
| # | Institution | Shares Held | Market Value | QoQ Change | Ownership % | % of Fund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackRock, Inc. | 8.5M | $2.54B | +57.3% | 13.106% | 0.04% |
| 2 | MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES CO /MA/ | 4.6M | $2.06B | +76.4% | 7.103% | 0.69% |
| 3 | VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | 6.4M | $1.90B | β | 9.786% | 0.05% |
| 4 | VANGUARD PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT LLC | 4.8M | $1.42B | β | 7.293% | 0.08% |
| 5 | STATE STREET CORP | 4.4M | $1.30B | +62.6% | 6.692% | 0.04% |
| 6 | Fundsmith LLP | 3.2M | $956.6M | -9.7% | 4.928% | 7.46% |
| 7 | ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. | 2.1M | $804.0M | +2.4% | 3.247% | 0.26% |
| 8 | GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | 2.6M | $785.1M | +66.1% | 4.060% | 0.05% |
| 9 | Invesco Ltd. | 2.2M | $645.7M | +85.8% | 3.326% | 0.10% |
| 10 | JANUS HENDERSON GROUP PLC | 1.6M | $488.0M | +27.0% | 2.514% | 0.24% |
| 11 | First Eagle Investment Management, LLC | 1.6M | $469.1M | β | 2.417% | 0.62% |
| 12 | Mawer Investment Management Ltd. | 1.4M | $418.0M | +8.1% | 2.153% | 2.71% |
| 13 | VIKING GLOBAL INVESTORS LP | 1.3M | $374.2M | β | 1.928% | 1.05% |
| 14 | MORGAN STANLEY | 1.2M | $363.9M | +69.9% | 1.875% | 0.02% |
| 15 | Veritas Asset Management LLP | 1.2M | $357.6M | -3.3% | 1.842% | 6.06% |
| 16 | FUNDSMITH INVESTMENT SERVICES LTD. | 1.1M | $326.6M | -4.3% | 1.683% | 7.41% |
| 17 | NORTHERN TRUST CORP | 1.0M | $310.4M | +52.3% | 1.599% | 0.04% |
| 18 | D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc. | 1.0M | $305.3M | +191.3% | 1.573% | 0.29% |
| 19 | PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC | 1.0M | $303.6M | +17.0% | 1.564% | 0.16% |
| 20 | Holocene Advisors, LP | 917K | $273.1M | +122.8% | 1.407% | 0.66% |
| 21 | BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ | 844K | $251.2M | +44.2% | 1.294% | 0.02% |
| 22 | DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP | 815K | $242.6M | +60.8% | 1.250% | 0.05% |
| 23 | WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP | 811K | $241.6M | +197.5% | 1.245% | 0.05% |
| 24 | UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS INC | 795K | $236.6M | +60.8% | 1.219% | 0.05% |
| 25 | CHARLES SCHWAB INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC | 773K | $230.1M | +70.4% | 1.185% | 0.04% |
denotes a marquee investor (Buffett, Burry, ARK, Tiger Global, Pershing Square, Baupost and other widely-followed managers). β% of Fundβ shows how much of that investorβs total 13F portfolio is invested in WAT β a direct measure of their conviction.
Filings activity in WAT during Q1 2026, grouped by how each filer changed its position.
Institutions that opened a new WAT position in Q1 2026
Institutions that fully closed their WAT position in Q1 2026
8 quarters of 13F filings Β· Ξ columns show change vs prior quarter
| Quarter | Inst. Holders | Ξ Holders | Ownership % | Ξ Ownership | Total 13F Value | Ξ Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 1,150 | +46% | 112.68% | +22.76 pp | $26.11B | +25% |
| Q4 2025 | 786 | +7.5% | 89.92% | +18.06 pp | $20.84B | +25% |
| Q3 2025 | 731 | 3.4% | 71.86% | 12.61 pp | $16.65B | 15% |
| Q2 2025 | 757 | +1.9% | 84.47% | 45.43 pp | $19.57B | 35% |
| Q1 2025 | 743 | +0.0% | 129.90% | +41.27 pp | $30.10B | +47% |
| Q4 2024 | 743 | +10% | 88.63% | +6.29 pp | $20.54B | +7.6% |
| Q3 2024 | 674 | 0.6% | 82.34% | +12.71 pp | $19.08B | +18% |
| Q2 2024 | 678 | β | 69.63% | β | $16.14B | β |
Source: SEC 13F institutional filings. Ownership % requires market cap data and will show once linked. Ξ columns compare to the immediately prior filed quarter.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying WAT stock.
Based on Q1 2026 13F filings, institutional ownership of Waters Corporation stands at 112.7%, held across 1,150 reporting institutions.
BlackRock, Inc. is the largest reported institutional holder of WAT, with approximately 8,543,014 shares worth $2.54B as of Q1 2026.
Yes β 1 widely-followed marquee investor appear among the top 25 institutional holders of WAT, including VIKING GLOBAL INVESTORS LP.
Our composite Smart Money Score for WAT is 77 out of 100 (Bullish). It combines net institutional buying activity, ownership shift, marquee investor presence, and holder-count growth.
468 institutions opened new positions in WAT during Q1 2026, while 104 fully exited. 396 added to existing positions and 281 trimmed.
WAT institutional ownership rose by 22.76 percentage points quarter-over-quarter, with a net change of +364 holders.
The top 10 institutions account for 49.4% of all reported 13F value in WAT, and the top 25 account for 67.4%.
All data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings, which institutional investment managers with at least $100M in assets are required to file each quarter. We process every 13F filing from EDGAR and recompute the aggregates after each cycle. Insider transactions are sourced from Form 4 filings.
Waters Corporation (WAT) Institutional Ownership