Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, KeyCorp Analyst Says

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at KeyCorp from $460.00 to $500.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. KeyCorp‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 8.93% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $440.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Waters from $465.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $463.26.

Waters Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $459.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $45.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.47, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.16. Waters has a 52-week low of $282.77 and a 52-week high of $482.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $432.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $371.16.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Waters had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Waters’s revenue was up 120.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.40 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of Waters stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pilgrim Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 2nd quarter worth $466,131,171,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at $3,182,191,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Waters by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,382,008 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,643,428,000 after buying an additional 19,998 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the second quarter worth about $623,921,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Waters by 27.0% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,638,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $488,028,000 after acquiring an additional 348,379 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter results topped expectations: revenue was $1.767 billion, above guidance and analyst estimates, while adjusted EPS of $4.10 beat estimates and rose 21% year over year. Organic revenue grew 9% (10% in constant currency). Waters also raised its 2026 guidance. Waters Q3 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a 2027 framework targeting a 29.2% adjusted operating margin and a path to high-single-digit growth, supporting the longer-term outlook. Waters 2027 framework
• Positive Sentiment: Waters agreed to acquire MOBILion Systems, adding high-resolution ion-mobility technology to its mass-spectrometry portfolio. The deal is intended to expand proteomics and biomarker-discovery capabilities, including research workflows designed for AI-driven data needs. MOBILion acquisition announcement
• Negative Sentiment: A valuation-focused article questions whether the shares are fully priced. That concern is relevant given WAT’s high valuation multiples and share price near its 12-month high, which could limit upside if growth does not meet expectations. Waters valuation analysis

Waters Company Profile

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.