Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $443.79

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Nineteen analysts give Waters a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $443.79.
• Waters recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.05 in earnings per share versus a $3.01 consensus estimate and $1.65 billion in revenue versus $1.62 billion expected. Management issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $14.45–$14.65.
• The stock opened at $453.42, near its 52-week high of $465.36, while institutional investors own approximately 94.01% of outstanding shares; insider ownership is 0.31%.

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $443.79.

Several equities analysts have commented on WAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, October 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waters from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 price target on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Caitlin John LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co lifted its holdings in Waters by 2.3% during the first quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 1.5% during the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 3.2% during the second quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $453.42 on Friday. Waters has a 1 year low of $282.77 and a 1 year high of $465.36. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $424.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $381.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.55 billion, a PE ratio of 113.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.95 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Waters will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation NYSE: WAT develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company's product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.

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