Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $400.00

Key Points

• Bank of America raised its price target on Waters to $400 from $370, while keeping a neutral rating. The new target implies about 7.78% upside from the current share price.
• Waters’ stock was trading at $371.11, near its 52-week high of $414.15, with a market cap of $36.44 billion. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $395.71.
• The company recently posted strong quarterly earnings, reporting $2.70 EPS versus $2.31 expected and revenue of $1.27 billion versus $1.20 billion expected. Waters also raised guidance for Q2 2026 and FY 2026.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by analysts at Bank of America from $370.00 to $400.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. Bank of America's target price suggests a potential upside of 7.78% from the company's current price.

WAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $395.71.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $5.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $371.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,529,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,186,656. The company has a market cap of $36.44 billion, a PE ratio of 47.49, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.21. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $325.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $350.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business's revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 3.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 246,128 shares during the period. Fundsmith LLP raised its stake in shares of Waters by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,185,898,000 after purchasing an additional 347,091 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $488,028,000 after purchasing an additional 348,379 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $602,921,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $441,446,000 after acquiring an additional 359,596 shares in the last quarter. 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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