Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Rating Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Sunday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Piper Sandler raised shares of Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Guggenheim lifted 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. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $443.79.

Waters Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $436.88 on Friday. Waters has a one year low of $282.77 and a one year high of $454.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $420.83 and its 200 day moving average is $376.76. The firm has a market cap of $42.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.95, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm’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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction 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. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

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

Waters News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Roger Waters’ criticism of Metallica’s James Hetfield and articles about his political songs and the inspiration behind Pink Floyd’s “Time” are entertainment news unrelated to Waters Corporation’s operations, earnings, or outlook. Roger Waters slams James Hetfield following controversial comments at The Sphere in Las Vegas
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Anna Leigh Waters’ pickleball career and a planned pickleball showcase in the Philippines also has no apparent connection to Waters Corporation. Anna Leigh Waters’ net worth and endorsements
• Neutral Sentiment: Representative James McGovern’s fundraising disclosure and the “Waters rallies support as rivals circle” political article do not identify a development involving Waters Corporation or its financial performance. Fundraising Update: Representative James P. McGovern just disclosed $118.1K of new fundraising

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.