Sanford C. Bernstein Reiterates Outperform Rating for Waters (NYSE:WAT)

Waters (NYSE:WAT)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $435.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target points to a potential upside of 15.63% from the stock’s current price.

WAT has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.68.

Waters Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $376.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.94 billion, a PE ratio of 47.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $345.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $347.33. Waters has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15. 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 (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.Waters’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. 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, analysts expect that Waters will post 14.51 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in Waters by 121.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Company Profile

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.