Waters (NYSE:WAT) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday.

WAT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.60.

Waters Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $357.29 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $362.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $346.08. Waters has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $35.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.40, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.