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

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $388.2222.

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in 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 acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Up 1.4%

Waters stock opened at $324.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.84 billion, a PE ratio of 30.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Waters has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $316.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $352.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.10 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Waters will post 12.86 EPS 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.