Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $345.00

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $330.00 to $345.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WAT. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price target for the company. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $395.12.

Waters Trading Up 1.3%

WAT opened at $355.12 on Wednesday. Waters has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $414.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a fifty day moving average of $310.84 and a 200-day moving average of $352.26. The stock has a market cap of $34.86 billion, a PE ratio of 45.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters will post 14.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,295,612,000 after buying an additional 246,128 shares in the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 9.6% in the third quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,185,898,000 after buying an additional 347,091 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 44.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $806,397,000 after buying an additional 825,723 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,593,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $602,921,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 225.5% during the third quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $465,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074,449 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.