The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Positive Forecast for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs raised Waters’ price target from $465 to $515 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying approximately 22% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with Waters holding a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $434.60, supported by several recent upgrades and favorable coverage.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 in EPS versus the $3.01 consensus and $1.65 billion in revenue, up 113.3% year over year; the company also issued full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45–$14.65.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by investment analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $465.00 to $515.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 22.15% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on WAT. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Waters from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. TD Cowen upgraded Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $434.60.

Waters Stock Down 0.0%

Waters stock opened at $421.62 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $399.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $357.93. Waters has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $431.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.14, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 EPS. Waters's revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Waters will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Caitlin John LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 43.9% during the second quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co increased its position in shares of Waters by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 8,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,326,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waters

Waters Corporation NYSE: WAT develops and manufactures analytical workflow technologies used to measure, characterize and manage chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, industrial organizations, academic institutions and government laboratories.

The company's portfolio includes liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis instruments, along with chromatography columns, consumables, laboratory software and services.

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