Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $394.5556.

WAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 112.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted 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 valued at $73,733,000 after purchasing an additional 6,976 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at $232,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $356.26 on Friday. Waters has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The stock has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $342.66 and its 200-day moving average is $348.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Waters will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.