Waters (NYSE:WAT) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler raised Waters from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $424.35.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $414.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The business has a 50-day moving average of $387.53 and a 200 day moving average of $348.45. Waters has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $426.22.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.95 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Waters by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 464,501 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $174,206,000 after purchasing an additional 32,355 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise increased its holdings in Waters by 53.3% in the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 47,551 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $17,847,000 after buying an additional 16,542 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Waters by 35,116.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 54,254,036 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $20,347,434,000 after buying an additional 54,099,977 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new stake in Waters in the second quarter valued at $300,000. Finally, Kintra Wealth LLC raised its stake in Waters by 4.3% in the second quarter. Kintra Wealth LLC now owns 1,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $624,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source