Waters (NYSE:WAT) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $414.30 and last traded at $413.0950, with a volume of 263751 shares. The stock had previously closed at $411.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on WAT shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.35.

Waters Stock Up 0.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $40.76 billion, a PE ratio of 103.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $375.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $345.69.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.95 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total transaction of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.