Waters (NYSE:WAT) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Waters (NYSE:WAT) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 14.400-14.600 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 14.380. The company issued revenue guidance of $6.4 billion-$6.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $6.4 billion. Waters also updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 2.950-3.050 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $395.12.

Waters Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of WAT traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $349.94. 2,014,697 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,079,205. The company has a market cap of $34.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.14. 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 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $310.37 and its 200-day moving average is $352.16.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang purchased 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its stake in Waters by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.