Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives $401.60 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $401.60.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective on the stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $368.82 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $362.09 and a 200-day moving average of $346.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. Waters has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The firm has a market cap of $36.21 billion, a PE ratio of 46.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in Waters by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 2.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.