Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Evercore

Key Points

• Evercore upgraded Waters (NYSE:WAT) from "in-line" to "outperform" and set a $350 price target, implying roughly a 15% upside from the prior close.
• The analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $390.44; analyst opinions vary widely (2 Strong Buy, 10 Buy, 8 Hold) and targets range roughly from $350 to $480.
• Waters slightly beat the quarter's estimates with $4.53 EPS vs. $4.50 expected and revenue of $932.36M (up 6.9% y/y), and it guided FY2026 EPS to 14.30–14.50 with Q1 guidance of 2.25–2.35.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Evercore from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $350.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier's stock. Evercore's price target would suggest a potential upside of 15.02% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WAT. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America reduced their target price 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. Wolfe Research raised shares of Waters from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $480.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $390.44.

Waters Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $304.28 on Monday. Waters has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $324.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $351.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.25, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Insider Activity at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Waters by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in Waters by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Waters by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

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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