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

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $401.60.

WAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $375.25 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $361.26 and a 200 day moving average of $346.44. Waters has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $36.85 billion, a PE ratio of 47.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.20. 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 (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.51 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.