Waters’ (WAT) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Guggenheim

Guggenheim reissued their buy rating on shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $440.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barclays started coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. William Blair assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $360.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $400.84.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $326.82 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $385.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $347.69. Waters has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.17 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 36.45%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.10 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Waters by 65.4% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Waters News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Waters reported $4.53 EPS and $932M revenue, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year revenue growth, supporting the company’s operating strength. Zacks: Waters Beats Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst bullishness: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy and set a $440 price target, and Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and $425 target — both imply sizable upside versus the current level. Benzinga / Guggenheim TickerReport / Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Waters completed the Reverse Morris Trust combination with BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business, creating a larger life‑sciences company and naming Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D. to the board — a strategic step that management says will drive scale and synergies. PR Newswire: Combination Closed
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore ISI initiated coverage with an In‑Line rating and $360 target — modest upside but not an upgrade; this is informational rather than a clear directional catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guidance disappointed: Waters guided Q1 EPS of $2.25–$2.35 vs. consensus ~ $2.52 and flagged first‑quarter profit below Wall Street estimates, which pressured sentiment. Yahoo Finance: Q1 Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed targets or tempered ratings: Bank of America cut its price target to $350 and kept a Neutral rating, and TD Cowen maintained a Hold while lowering its target to $373 — incremental negative influence on sentiment. Benzinga / BofA TipRanks / TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY‑2026 targets that reflect the BD integration: projected revenue around $6.4–$6.46B and a target margin near 28.1%, signaling potential longer‑term upside if synergies materialize. MSN: FY2026 Targets

Waters Company Profile

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.