Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $396.00.

WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $423.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $384.12 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.72 billion, a PE ratio of 48.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Waters has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $414.15. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $323.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $350.99.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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, equities research analysts predict that Waters will post 14.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the third quarter valued at $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in Waters by 121.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.