Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives $424.35 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $430.10.

Several research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Bank of America increased 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $490.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $402.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $394.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.82. Waters has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $426.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.53 billion, a PE ratio of 100.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.19.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. Research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Waters by 25.4% in 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 acquiring an additional 28,074 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in shares of Waters by 329.0% during the fourth quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Dudley & Shanley Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 101.3% during the second quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 23,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,847,000 after purchasing an additional 11,870 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth $942,000. Finally, Hahn Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth $1,490,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waters

Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) develops and manufactures analytical workflow technologies used to measure, characterize and manage chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, industrial organizations, academic institutions and government laboratories.

The company’s portfolio includes liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis instruments, along with chromatography columns, consumables, laboratory software and services.