Bank of America Has Lowered Expectations for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at Bank of America from $410.00 to $350.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Bank of America‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 6.86% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on WAT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.59.

Waters Stock Down 14.1%

NYSE:WAT opened at $327.52 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $386.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $347.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Waters has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 225.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $465,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074,449 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 31.0% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after acquiring an additional 950,687 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Waters by 44.3% during the 3rd 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. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Waters during the second quarter valued at approximately $266,384,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $175,320,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Waters

Here are the key news stories impacting Waters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Completed Reverse Morris Trust with BD, creating a larger life?sciences leader and handing Waters new product, channel and geographic scale. Waters Completes Combination
• Positive Sentiment: Full?year 2026 revenue guidance raised to roughly $6.4B–$6.46B and management targets ~28.1% operating margin through BD integration — a clear long?term growth/margin story if synergies are realized. Revenue & Margin Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat: non?GAAP EPS $4.53 vs. ~$4.50 expected and revenue of ~$932M (high end of sales guidance); recurring revenue and chemistry/bioseparations strength noted. Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call emphasized integration synergies but used a cautious tone on timing and risks — management flagged execution and near?term margin pressure as they absorb BD businesses. Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for investors who want detail on segment trends, recurring revenue and the integration plan. Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Updated Q1 2026 guidance (EPS $2.25–2.35) came in below Street estimates (~$2.52), and management warned first?quarter profit would be under Wall Street expectations — this miss is the primary driver of the stock decline. Q1 Guidance Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Caution around integration execution, one?time costs and the pace of realizing synergies increases near?term earnings uncertainty; analysts may revise near?term estimates. Integration Risk Discussion

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.