Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Piper Sandler to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.
Several other research analysts also recently commented on WAT. Barclays boosted their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.56.
Waters Stock Down 0.9%
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $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. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters will post 14.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director Wei Jiang acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $289.46 per share, with a total value of $144,730.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,031.86. This represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of Waters
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its position in Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.
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.
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