Waters (NYSE:WAT) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Waters (NYSE:WAT) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Monday. The company provided EPS guidance of 14.300-14.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 14.290. The company issued revenue guidance of $6.4 billion-$6.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.4 billion. Waters also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 2.250-2.350 EPS.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $381.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $22.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $387.85 and its 200-day moving average is $347.31. Waters has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $415.11.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%. Equities analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Wolfe Research upgraded Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, William Blair began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $399.12.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter worth about $232,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $75,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $456,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.