Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $397.6842.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and upbeat guidance — Waters posted $4.53 EPS vs. $4.50 est. and revenue of $932.4M (up ~7% y/y); management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $14.30–$14.50 and Q1 guidance of $2.25–$2.35, citing strength in Pharma and Europe. This is the main fundamental catalyst for the stock rally. Waters Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: New/expanded analyst coverage — Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and $400 PT (significant upside vs. current levels), and firms including Guggenheim, Citigroup and Evercore also initiated or reiterated coverage, adding buying interest and liquidity. Barclays Overweight on WAT
• Positive Sentiment: Technicals suggest a potential rebound — commentary notes the stock was materially oversold over the past month, increasing the chance of a technical bounce as analysts raise estimates. This may have amplified short‑covering and buyer interest. Down 19.0% in 4 Weeks, Here’s Why Waters Looks Ripe for a Turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy/legislative mention unrelated to the company — A bill introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters on hydrofluoric acid in refineries is circulating; this concerns refineries, not Waters Corporation (analytical instruments), so it’s unlikely to affect WAT’s fundamentals. H.R. 7384 Bill Text
• Neutral Sentiment: Personal news about an unrelated individual with the surname Waters — irrelevant to company performance or stock. Personal announcement (unrelated)
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America cut its price target to $350 — a downward revision that could temper upside and indicates some analyst caution despite the beat; investors should weigh this alongside other bullish initiations. BofA Lowers WAT Price Target

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 112.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth $232,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE WAT opened at $323.91 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $380.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $348.17. Waters has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. Research analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.