Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $397.6842.

WAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup started coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research raised shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price target on the stock. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price objective for the company.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Waters by 1,611.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $220,705,000 after purchasing an additional 547,109 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Waters by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 73,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,035,000 after buying an additional 1,334 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in Waters by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 25,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,572,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in Waters by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 9,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,741,000 after buying an additional 2,521 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in Waters by 64.1% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 24,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,424,000 after buying an additional 9,691 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Waters News

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

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $323.91 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $380.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.17. The firm 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. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 34.79%. The company had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.