Waters (NYSE:WAT) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $426.22 and last traded at $422.1720, with a volume of 72180 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $414.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $424.35.

Waters Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.59 billion, a PE ratio of 105.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $385.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $347.72.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.Waters’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. Research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters 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 sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Waters by 112.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its stake in Waters by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters by 3.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 16.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at approximately $232,000. 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.