Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Lowered to $330.00 at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group cut its price target on Waters from $370 to $330 and kept a "neutral" rating, while analysts' consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target of $388.22.
• Waters beat quarterly EPS estimates with $4.53 and revenue up 6.9% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance of $14.30–$14.50 EPS (Q1 guidance $2.25–$2.35).
• Shares traded at $324.34 (+$4.34) with a 1‑year range of $275.05–$414.15; institutional investors own about 94% of the stock and a director recently bought 500 shares.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $370.00 to $330.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. UBS Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 1.75% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on WAT. HSBC started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $460.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore upgraded shares of Waters from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $388.22.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock traded up $4.34 on Monday, reaching $324.34. 875,855 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,068,637. Waters has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $317.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $351.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.82 billion, a PE ratio of 30.11, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.17 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.10 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $996,031.86. The trade was a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $1,397,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Waters by 12.2% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 231,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $69,512,000 after purchasing an additional 25,182 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Waters by 543.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,146,000 after buying an additional 31,459 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Waters by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,295,612,000 after buying an additional 246,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,677,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently 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.

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