Analysts Set Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) PT at $394.56

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $396.6842.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WAT. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $374.97 on Friday. Waters has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $346.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $347.52. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. 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 analysts predict that Waters will post 14.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.