TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target raised by stock analysts at TD Cowen from $515.00 to $530.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. TD Cowen‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 12.85% from the stock’s previous close.

WAT has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $435.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Waters from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $500.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $471.09.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT traded up $9.75 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $469.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 626,188 shares, compared to its average volume of 968,373. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $432.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $371.16. The firm has a market cap of $46.14 billion, a PE ratio of 117.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.16. Waters has a one year low of $282.77 and a one year high of $482.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.00 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 120.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.40 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waters will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In related news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 4.0% in the third quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 783 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $1,273,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $5,308,000. StoneRidge PMG Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $485,000. Finally, Hohimer Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $589,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $525 from $475 and maintained an “outperform” rating. KeyCorp also lifted its target, to $500 from $460, with an “overweight” rating—both revisions signal greater analyst confidence. Royal Bank of Canada price target update KeyCorp rating
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.10 topped the roughly $4.00 consensus, and revenue of $1.77 billion exceeded estimates. Waters reported 9% organic revenue growth and raised its 2026 outlook, providing a key fundamental reason for investor optimism. Waters Q3 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a 2027 framework targeting a 29.2% adjusted operating margin and a path to high-single-digit growth, supporting the longer-term outlook. Waters 2027 framework
• Positive Sentiment: Waters acquired MOBILion Systems to add high-resolution ion-mobility technology to its mass spectrometry portfolio, expanding its proteomics capabilities. The CEO also pointed to AI-related demand for lab tools as drugmakers seek to accelerate research. MOBILion acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent valuation-focused article raises the question of whether WAT’s shares already reflect its improved outlook. That may temper enthusiasm, particularly given the stock’s elevated valuation. Waters valuation discussion

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.