Waters (NYSE:WAT) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $414.30 and last traded at $413.0950, with a volume of 263751 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $411.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $420.35.

Waters Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $40.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.13, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $373.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $345.46.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 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. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.