Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $415.00 to $355.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.42% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WAT. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI started coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.68.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock traded up $3.47 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $330.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 279,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,947. The stock has a market cap of $19.68 billion, a PE ratio of 30.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50 day moving average is $385.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $347.69. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $414.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 36.45% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.10 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Waters by 225.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $465,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074,449 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Waters by 31.0% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after buying an additional 950,687 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Waters by 44.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $806,397,000 after buying an additional 825,723 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth approximately $266,384,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $175,320,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waters completed the combination with BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions businesses, creating a larger life‑sciences company and positioning for revenue and synergy upside. Waters Completes Combination with BD Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Management provided 2026 targets of roughly $6.4B–$6.46B in revenue and a 28.1% margin target tied to BD integration — a clear path to higher operating profit over time. Waters projects $6.4B–$6.46B revenue for 2026 while targeting 28.1% margin through BD integration
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts initiated/maintained bullish coverage: Guggenheim reiterated a Buy with a $440 PT and Citigroup started coverage at Buy with a $425 PT — signals of substantial upside from current levels. Benzinga coverage of Guggenheim rating Citigroup starts coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Waters reported Q4 results that modestly beat on EPS and revenue; investors are parsing the call for integration timing and risks. (Earnings call highlights available.) Waters Q4 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/commodity context: crude prices and FX moves can influence lab/industrial demand and input costs but are not primary drivers for WAT. Crude Prices Climb as US Tells Ships to Avoid Iranian Waters
• Negative Sentiment: Management forecasted a weaker-than-expected Q1 profit, which prompted an immediate share pullback as investors worried about near‑term earnings. Waters forecasts weak first-quarter profit, shares slide
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed targets or maintained conservative ratings after assessing BD life‑sciences weakness and valuation pressure (Bank of America cut its PT to $350; TD Cowen reduced its PT). Bank of America lowers price target TD Cowen maintains Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted Waters underperformed some peers recently, boosting concern about execution and near‑term organic growth. Waters Corp. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors

Waters Company Profile

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.