Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $355.00 to $370.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 10.71% from the stock’s current price.

WAT has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. HSBC began coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.00.

Waters Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of WAT traded down $0.74 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $334.20. 157,959 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,079,735. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $313.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $352.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $32.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.50, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.14. Waters has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm’s revenue was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In related news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,397,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 543.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,146,000 after acquiring an additional 31,459 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in Waters by 12.2% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 231,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,512,000 after purchasing an additional 25,182 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters by 3.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,295,612,000 after purchasing an additional 246,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $4,677,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.