Royal Bank Of Canada Upgrades Waters (NYSE:WAT) to “Moderate Buy”

Waters (NYSE:WAT) was upgraded by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada to a “moderate buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $435.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $403.60.

Waters Stock Up 2.5%

WAT opened at $377.42 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $357.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $346.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. 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 one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Waters will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.