Waters (NYSE:WAT) Raised to Hold at Piper Sandler

Waters (NYSE:WAT) was upgraded by Piper Sandler to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

WAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $394.56.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $359.80 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a market capitalization of $35.33 billion, a PE ratio of 45.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $336.59 and its 200-day moving average is $350.23.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,441 shares in the company, valued at $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth $265,751,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP boosted its position in shares of Waters by 112.3% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after acquiring an additional 656,436 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Waters by 509.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,906,000 after acquiring an additional 561,047 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Waters by 1,611.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after acquiring an additional 547,109 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 2,281.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 538,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $204,619,000 after acquiring an additional 516,094 shares during the period. 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.