Waters (NYSE:WAT) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $455.12 and last traded at $453.1090, with a volume of 71,563 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $442.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 price objective for the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $440.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $443.79.

Waters Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $421.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $378.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $44.58 billion, a PE ratio of 113.24, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pilgrim Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at about $466,131,171,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,182,191,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Waters by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,382,008 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,643,428,000 after acquiring an additional 19,998 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $623,921,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $488,028,000 after purchasing an additional 348,379 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

About Waters

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.