Waters (NYSE:WAT) Updates Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Waters (NYSE:WAT) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.950-3.050 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.030. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.6 billion-$1.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.6 billion. Waters also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 14.400-14.600 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on WAT. Robert W. Baird set a $387.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $410.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.12.

Waters Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:WAT traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $349.94. 2,014,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,079,205. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $310.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $352.16. Waters has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $414.15. The company has a market cap of $34.35 billion, a PE ratio of 44.46, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 11.91%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. The business’s 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. Equities analysts predict that Waters will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Wei Jiang bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $289.46 per share, for a total transaction of $144,730.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,031.86. This trade represents a 17.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its holdings in Waters by 112.3% during the 4th quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 1,241,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,447,000 after buying an additional 656,436 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Waters by 509.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 671,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,906,000 after buying an additional 561,047 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Waters by 1,611.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $220,705,000 after buying an additional 547,109 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Waters by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,472,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $441,446,000 after buying an additional 359,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $70,316,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.