Waters (NYSE:WAT) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $455.12 and last traded at $453.1090, with a volume of 71,563 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $442.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group raised shares of Waters from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $375.00 to $490.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Waters from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Waters from $465.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $443.79.

Waters Trading Up 2.5%

The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $421.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $378.73.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%. Waters’s revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. On average, analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caitlin John LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 43.9% during the second quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co raised its position in Waters by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $534,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Waters

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures analytical technologies used to measure, identify and characterize chemical and biological substances. Its customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, industrial manufacturers, academic and government laboratories, and organizations involved in food, environmental and clinical testing.

The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, chromatography columns and consumables, and laboratory software for data management and analysis.