Waters (NYSE:WAT) Research Coverage Started at Citigroup

Citigroup started coverage on shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $425.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on WAT. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. William Blair started coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.68.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock opened at $319.88 on Tuesday. Waters has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year 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. The firm has a market cap of $19.05 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $382.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $347.37.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the third quarter worth $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst coverage initiated or upgraded: Barclays started coverage with an “overweight” and $400 PT, Guggenheim issued a “Buy”, Citigroup and Evercore ISI also initiated coverage — these moves add buy-side interest and longer-term upside potential. Analyst Coverage & Barclays PT
• Positive Sentiment: Completion of the combination with BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions businesses — strategic scale and portfolio expansion that could support future revenue growth and synergies. Waters Completes Combination with BD
• Neutral Sentiment: BD completed its spin-off/merger with Waters and took steps to pivot its own portfolio, raising proceeds reported around $4B — important corporate context but impact on near-term WAT earnings is uncertain. BD Merges Biosciences & Diagnostics With Waters
• Neutral Sentiment: Non-market personal news (Waters announces arrival of first child) — human-interest item unlikely to move the stock. Waters announces arrival of first child
• Negative Sentiment: Weak Q1 profit outlook and cautious management commentary after the Q4 call drove an immediate sell reaction; news coverage flags that the company forecasted a weak first-quarter profit, which is the main near-term catalyst for the decline. MarketWatch: Shares Fall After Low Profit Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Certain sell-side revisions and lower targets: Bank of America trimmed its PT to $350 and Wells Fargo cut its PT to $355 (now equal weight), reflecting more cautious near-term expectations from some brokers. Bank of America Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/flow pressure: the stock is trading below its 50-day moving average and volume is significantly above average — technical weakness that can exacerbate short-term downside. MSN: Stock Underperforms Peers

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.