Waters (NYSE:WAT) Rating Increased to Moderate Buy at Royal Bank Of Canada

Waters (NYSE:WAT) was upgraded by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada to a “moderate buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $403.60.

Waters Stock Up 2.5%

NYSE WAT opened at $377.42 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $357.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market cap of $37.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. Waters has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 91.4% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its position in shares of Waters by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.