Waters (WAT) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in analytical laboratory instruments and software, specializing in high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), mass spectrometry and thermal analysis solutions. The company designs, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of laboratory systems, columns and consumables, as well as informatics software used to capture, analyze and report critical data across a variety of industries. Customers rely on Waters to deliver precise, reliable analytical results for applications such as pharmaceutical development, quality control, food safety, environmental testing and chemical research.

Waters’ offerings include an extensive range of chromatography columns, sample preparation products and detectors that support both routine analysis and advanced research workflows. Its Empower and Unifi software platforms enable secure data management and compliance with regulatory standards, while its service and support organization provides instrument maintenance, training and method development assistance. By integrating hardware, software and consumables, Waters helps organizations streamline laboratory operations, improve productivity and maintain high standards of accuracy.

Since its founding in 1958 as Waters Associates, the company has driven innovation in separation science and analytical measurement. With headquarters in Milford, Massachusetts, Waters maintains research and production facilities in North America, Europe and Asia–Pacific, serving a global customer base. Over the decades, the company has expanded through strategic investments in new technologies and acquisitions that complement its core competencies, reinforcing its position as a trusted partner for labs worldwide.

Waters is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Christine Pambianchi, who brings extensive experience in scientific instrumentation and corporate strategy. Under her leadership, the company continues to invest in research and development, while focusing on sustainability and digital transformation initiatives. Waters’ management team emphasizes collaboration with customers and academic partners to address emerging challenges in health care, environmental protection and industrial innovation.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $343.83 to $350.91
• 50-Day Range: $338.80 to $366.80
• 52-Week Range: $279.24 to $423.56
• Volume: 115,322 shs
• Average Volume: 470,830 shs
• Market Capitalization: $20.68 billion
• P/E Ratio: 31.53
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Price Target: $388.00
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Waters Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Waters scored higher than 91% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 105th out of 921 stocks in the medical sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Waters has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.61, and is based on 7 buy ratings, 9 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Waters has been the subject of 5 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 9.56%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Waters are expected to grow by 9.56% in the coming year, from $12.86 to $14.09 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Waters is 31.50, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.92.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Waters is 31.50, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Medical sector average P/E ratio of about 27.18.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Waters has a PEG Ratio of 3.43. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Waters has a P/B Ratio of 11.27. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 5.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.90% of the float of Waters has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Waters has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.2, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Waters has recently decreased by 5.49%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Dividend Strength: N/A

Dividend Yield

Waters does not currently pay a dividend.

Dividend Growth

Waters does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 3.5 / 5
• Environmental Score: -1.55

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.90% of the float of Waters has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Waters has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.2, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Waters has recently decreased by 5.49%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.4 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.26

News Sentiment

Waters has a news sentiment score of 0.26. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.57 average news sentiment score of Medical companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 47 news articles for Waters this week, compared to 34 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

4 people have searched for WAT on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 100% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 1 people have added Waters to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -50% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Waters insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.82% of the stock of Waters is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

94.01% of the stock of Waters is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

WAT Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have WAT shares performed this year?

Waters' stock was trading at $370.98 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, WAT shares have decreased by 6.5% and is now trading at $346.97.

How were Waters' earnings last quarter?

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May, 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Does Waters have any subsidiaries?

The following companies are subsidiaries of Waters: Andrew Alliance S.A, Andrew Alliance, Rubotherm, MPE Orbur Group Ltd. (UK), ElectroForce, Blue Reference Inc., Baehr Thermoanalyse GmbH, and more.

Who are Waters' major shareholders?

Waters' top institutional shareholders include Czech National Bank (0.02%), Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. (0.01%), Peak Financial Advisors LLC (0.01%) and MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB. Insiders that own company stock include Edward Conard, Christopher A Kuebler, Mark P Vergnano, Linda Baddour and Richard H Fearon.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Waters?

Shares of WAT stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Waters own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Waters investors own include American Water Works (AWK), Humana (HUM), Waste Connections (WCN), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH), The RMR Group (RMR), AU Optronics (AUOTY) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 5/06/2025
• Today: 7/09/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/30/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Medical
• Industry: MED INSTRUMENTS
• Sub-Industry: Life Sciences Tools & Services
• Current Symbol: NYSE:WAT
• CIK: 1000697
• Web: www.waters.com
• Phone: (508) 478-2000
• Fax: 508-872-1990
• Employees: 7,600
• Year Founded: 1958

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Waters: $388.00
• High Price Target: $460.00
• Low Price Target: $325.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +11.6%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.61
• Research Coverage: 18 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $11.02
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 31.55
• Forward P/E Ratio: 27.03
• P/E Growth: 3.43
• Net Income: $637.83 million
• Net Margins: 22.02%
• Pretax Margin: 26.24%
• Return on Equity: 41.70%
• Return on Assets: 15.67%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.69
• Current Ratio: 1.81
• Quick Ratio: 1.28

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.96 billion
• Price / Sales: 6.99
• Cash Flow: $15.16 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 22.93
• Book Value: $30.80 per share
• Price / Book: 11.29

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 59,510,000
• Free Float: 59,021,000
• Market Cap: $20.69 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.10