Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Twenty analysts give Waters a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $418.10. Recent targets range from $375 to $475.
• Waters beat quarterly expectations: The company reported $3.05 in adjusted EPS versus the $3.01 consensus and revenue of $1.65 billion, up 113.3% year over year and above estimates.
• Shares are trading near their 52-week high: WAT opened at $406.94, compared with a 52-week range of $275.05 to $414.15. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the stock, while a company director recently sold shares worth approximately $1.44 million.

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $418.10.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WAT. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $406.94 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The firm has a market cap of $39.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 101.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.19. The business's 50 day moving average price is $373.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $345.27.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. The firm'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 research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Company Profile

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.

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