Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Waters (NYSE:WAT) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price target on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Waters from $440.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $443.79.

Waters Stock Down 0.4%

WAT stock opened at $434.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Waters has a 1-year low of $282.77 and a 1-year high of $454.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $421.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $377.73. The firm has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.48, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Research analysts predict that Waters will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitlin John LLC grew its position in Waters by 43.9% in the second quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Waters by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.