Wall Street Zen Upgrades Waters (NYSE:WAT) to Buy

Waters (NYSE:WAT) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on WAT. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Waters from $465.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Waters from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $420.00 price target (up from $410.00) on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $457.50.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $468.38 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $426.52 and its 200 day moving average is $369.40. Waters has a 12-month low of $282.77 and a 12-month high of $470.86.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current 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 value 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. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Pilgrim Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $466,131,171,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth $3,182,191,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the second quarter valued at $623,921,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Waters by 69.2% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,373,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $514,986,000 after acquiring an additional 561,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Waters during the second quarter valued at $188,725,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.