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

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $424.35.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Waters Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $403.29 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $393.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $352.79. 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 $426.22. The firm has a market cap of $39.62 billion, a PE ratio of 100.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Waters by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 138,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,222,000 after buying an additional 28,074 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in shares of Waters by 329.0% in the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares in the last quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 101.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,847,000 after acquiring an additional 11,870 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $942,000. Finally, Hahn Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth $1,490,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.