Waters (WAT) Stock Overview
Provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. More details
| Snowflake Score | |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 2/6 |
| Future Growth | 4/6 |
| Past Performance | 0/6 |
| Financial Health | 4/6 |
| Dividends | 0/6 |
WAT Community Fair Values
Create NarrativeSee what 24 others think this stock is worth. Follow their fair value or set your own to get alerts.
Analyst Price Targets
Waters Corporation Competitors
Price History & Performance
| Historical stock prices | |
|---|---|
| Current Share Price | US$368.98 |
| 52 Week High | US$414.15 |
| 52 Week Low | US$275.05 |
| Beta | 1.2 |
| 1 Month Change | 3.81% |
| 3 Month Change | 10.07% |
| 1 Year Change | 31.00% |
| 3 Year Change | 28.58% |
| 5 Year Change | -3.49% |
| Change since IPO | 9,658.15% |
Recent News & Updates
Narrative Update • Jul 16
WAT: BD Acquisition And Diagnostics Expansion Will Likely Support Measured Upside
Analysts have raised their price target for Waters from $330.00 to about $358.57, citing updated assumptions for fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E that together support a higher valuation framework for the stock. What’s in the News for Waters Waters Corporation is scheduled to release its second quarter 2026 earnings before the market opens on August 4, with analysts expecting EPS of $3.01, which is 2% higher year over year.Seeking Alpha • Jul 14
Waters Corporation Is Getting Awfully Pricey
Summary Waters Corporation remains a Hold as valuation concerns are balanced by ongoing synergy capture from its Becton, Dickinson acquisition. WAT's Q1 pro forma sales rose to $1.54B, with legacy revenue up 13% and recurring revenue surging 123%, signaling broad-based growth. Synergy realization is on track, with $55M+ cost savings and $50M revenue synergies targeted for 2026, supporting incremental EBITDA gains. Despite high absolute multiples, WAT trades at the low end of peer valuations, but further stock appreciation or weak fundamentals could trigger a bearish reassessment. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Narrative Update • Jul 02
WAT: AI Immune Profiling Partnership And Biotech Tools Will Support Steady Profitability
Analysts have nudged their price target on Waters higher to about $402 from roughly $393, citing updated assumptions that include an adjusted discount rate of 8.24%, revenue growth expectations of 27.01%, a profit margin estimate of 16.78%, and a forward P/E of 47.17x. What’s in the News for Waters Waters and IMU Biosciences formed a partnership that combines Waters Biosciences flow cytometry and single cell technologies with IMU’s AI and machine learning platform to support high definition immune profiling across discovery, translational, and clinical research.Recent updates
Narrative Update • Jul 16
WAT: BD Acquisition And Diagnostics Expansion Will Likely Support Measured Upside
Analysts have raised their price target for Waters from $330.00 to about $358.57, citing updated assumptions for fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E that together support a higher valuation framework for the stock. What’s in the News for Waters Waters Corporation is scheduled to release its second quarter 2026 earnings before the market opens on August 4, with analysts expecting EPS of $3.01, which is 2% higher year over year.Seeking Alpha • Jul 14
Waters Corporation Is Getting Awfully Pricey
Summary Waters Corporation remains a Hold as valuation concerns are balanced by ongoing synergy capture from its Becton, Dickinson acquisition. WAT's Q1 pro forma sales rose to $1.54B, with legacy revenue up 13% and recurring revenue surging 123%, signaling broad-based growth. Synergy realization is on track, with $55M+ cost savings and $50M revenue synergies targeted for 2026, supporting incremental EBITDA gains. Despite high absolute multiples, WAT trades at the low end of peer valuations, but further stock appreciation or weak fundamentals could trigger a bearish reassessment. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaNarrative Update • Jul 02
WAT: AI Immune Profiling Partnership And Biotech Tools Will Support Steady Profitability
Analysts have nudged their price target on Waters higher to about $402 from roughly $393, citing updated assumptions that include an adjusted discount rate of 8.24%, revenue growth expectations of 27.01%, a profit margin estimate of 16.78%, and a forward P/E of 47.17x. What’s in the News for Waters Waters and IMU Biosciences formed a partnership that combines Waters Biosciences flow cytometry and single cell technologies with IMU’s AI and machine learning platform to support high definition immune profiling across discovery, translational, and clinical research.
Narrative Update • Jun 18
WAT: Battery Safety And Omics Platforms Will Drive Future Stock Upside
Analysts maintained their $460.00 price target on Waters, citing relatively steady assumptions around revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E, which offset the slightly higher discount rate in their valuation work. What’s in the News for Waters Waters launched the TA Instruments Coin Cell Differential Scanning Calorimeter, combining thermal, evolved gas, and electrochemical analysis in a single experiment to support earlier insights into battery thermal runaway and reduce cell teardown time by over 90% (source: company announcement, 9 June 2026).Analysis Article • Jun 16
Waters (WAT) Stock Could Be 8.3% Undervalued After Product Launches And FDA Clearance
Waters (WAT) is in focus after launching its BioResolve Peptide and GTxResolve Lipid columns and securing FDA 510(k) clearance for the BD BACTEC FXI Culture System, developments that expand its biopharma and diagnostics footprint. See our latest analysis for Waters. Despite the product launches and diagnostics clearance, Waters’ share price shows mixed momentum, with a 30 day share price return of 9.51% and a 90 day share price return of 22.20%, while the 1 year total shareholder return sits...Narrative Update • Jun 03
WAT: New Omics Platforms And Buybacks Will Support Future Upside
Analysts have trimmed their price target for Waters to $460, reflecting slightly higher assumed discount rates, modestly adjusted long term revenue growth and profit margin expectations, and a lower future P/E multiple in their updated models. What's in the News Waters launched the Cyclic IMS P20 Mass Spectrometer, a structural and spatial omics platform using multipass Cyclic Ion Mobility Spectrometry and advanced fragmentation and imaging techniques, aimed at earlier detection of disease signals and more detailed molecular visualization.Analysis Article • May 19
Earnings Troubles May Signal Larger Issues for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Shareholders
Investors weren't pleased with the recent soft earnings report from Waters Corporation ( NYSE:WAT ). We did some...Narrative Update • May 18
WAT: New Product Launches And Completed Buybacks Will Support Future Upside
Analysts now set a slightly higher price target for Waters at about $478, up from about $470, reflecting updated views on its fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E assumptions. What's in the News Waters issued earnings guidance for the second quarter of 2026, with expected total revenue between US$1.616b and US$1.631b, and for full year 2026, with expected total revenue between US$6.405b and US$6.455b on a reported basis (Corporate guidance).Narrative Update • May 01
WAT: New Instrument Launches And Reorganized Divisions Will Support Future Upside
Analysts have trimmed their price target on Waters from $480 to $470, citing updated assumptions for significantly higher revenue growth at 37.91%, a profit margin of 17.88%, a prospective P/E of 47.70 and a discount rate of 7.89%. What's in the News Waters plans to globally launch the omniDAWN Multi Angle Light Scattering Photometer in summer 2026, targeting UHPLC and UPLC workflows for absolute molar mass and size measurements across complex analytes such as protein aggregates, viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles, and advanced materials (Key Developments).Narrative Update • Apr 17
WAT: Reorganization And Product Pipeline Will Likely Keep Upside In Check
Analysts have kept their price target for Waters steady at $330.00, citing updated assumptions for slightly higher revenue growth, a wider profit margin, and a higher future P/E multiple as the key drivers behind the unchanged fair value view. What's in the News Launched the Waters omniDAWN Multi-Angle Light Scattering Photometer for UHPLC and UPLC workflows, targeting absolute molar mass and size measurements for complex analytes such as protein aggregates, viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles, and advanced materials.Narrative Update • Apr 03
WAT: New Four Division Model And Materials Focus Will Support Higher Profitability
Analysts have reduced their price target on Waters by about $5 to $393, reflecting small adjustments to fair value assumptions, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E inputs. What's in the News Waters launched the TA Instruments ARES-G3 Rheometer, a next generation system that captures up to 25,000 data points per second, aims to shorten standard test times by up to 80%, and is available for order as part of the materials characterization portfolio (Key Developments).Narrative Update • Mar 20
WAT: New Four Division Model Will Support Higher Long Term Profitability
Analysts have kept their price target for Waters steady at $398.05. This reflects updated views on a slightly lower discount rate, modestly adjusted revenue growth expectations, a higher projected profit margin, and a reduced future P/E assumption.Narrative Update • Mar 05
WAT: New Four Division Structure Will Support Higher Long Term Earnings
Analysts have nudged their price target for Waters higher to $398.05 from $394.68, reflecting updated assumptions that combine a higher revenue growth outlook, a lower projected profit margin, and a richer future P/E multiple. What's in the News Waters has closed a transaction and reorganized into four divisions, aligning its operations with high volume testing in regulated applications and adjacent markets such as therapeutics, food, environmental testing, and specialty diagnostics (Key Developments).Narrative Update • Feb 19
WAT: Reorganization And Margin Pressure Will Likely Cap Upside For Now
Analysts now mark their price target for Waters at $330, down from $349, citing updated assumptions around revenue growth, profit margins, discount rate, and future P/E that change their overall valuation framework. What's in the News Waters closed a transaction and reorganized into four divisions focused on high-volume testing and adjacent markets, now grouped as Waters Analytical Sciences, Waters Biosciences, Waters Advanced Diagnostics, and Waters Materials Sciences (company announcement).Narrative Update • Feb 05
WAT: New Detector Launch And Higher Margins Will Likely Disappoint Optimists
Analysts have modestly lifted their price target for Waters to about $349, citing updated assumptions around discount rates, revenue growth, profit margins, and future P/E as the key drivers of this small adjustment from roughly $348.15. What's in the News Waters has scheduled a special or extraordinary shareholders meeting for January 27, 2026, to be held online via proxydocs.com/wat in the United States (Key Developments).Narrative Update • Jan 22
WAT: New Detector Launch And Stable Margins Will Support Future Upside
Analysts kept their price target for Waters steady at US$480.00, with only very small tweaks to discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E assumptions, reflecting fine-tuning rather than a major shift in their view. What's in the News Waters scheduled a special or extraordinary shareholders meeting for January 27, 2026, to be held via proxydocs.com/wat in the United States (company event filing).Narrative Update • Jan 08
WAT: Higher Margins And New Product Launch Will Support Future Upside
Analysts have lifted their price target on Waters to US$480 from about US$424, citing updated assumptions for slightly higher revenue growth, profit margins near 26%, and a modestly higher future P/E multiple. What's in the News Waters scheduled a special or extraordinary shareholders meeting for January 27, 2026, to be held online via proxydocs.com/wat (Special/Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting).Analysis Article • Jan 04
Estimating The Intrinsic Value Of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)
Key Insights Waters' estimated fair value is US$362 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Waters' US$382 share...Narrative Update • Dec 25
WAT: Future Product Expansion Will Likely Fail To Justify Current Optimism
Analysts have raised their price target on Waters from 300.00 dollars to 348.15 dollars, citing slightly stronger expectations for revenue growth, profit margins, and future valuation multiples. What's in the News Launched a new Charged Aerosol Detector optimized for Empower Software, expanding capabilities for measuring analytes with little or no UV absorption across pharmaceuticals, food, and environmental testing, with shipments expected by April 2026 (company product announcement).Narrative Update • Dec 10
WAT: Future Margin Gains And New Instruments Will Support Measured Earnings Outlook
Narrative Update on Waters Analysts have modestly raised their price target on Waters by approximately $6 per share, reflecting slightly lower discount rate assumptions, a small improvement in projected profit margins, and a marginally higher future P/E multiple that together support a higher fair value estimate. What's in the News Launched a new Charged Aerosol Detector, purpose built for Empower chromatography software, expanding Waters portfolio of LC detectors and strengthening its position in compliant, high sensitivity analysis for low UV analytes, with shipments expected by April 2026 (Key Developments) Unveiled the Xevo Charge Detection Mass Spectrometer to enable high resolution characterization of very large biomolecules that are central to next generation therapeutics, leveraging technology acquired from Indiana University and Megadalton Solutions (Key Developments) Raised full year 2025 guidance and now expects constant currency sales growth of 6.7% to 7.3% and GAAP EPS of 11.10 to 11.20 dollars per diluted share (Key Developments) Issued new guidance for the fourth quarter of 2025, targeting constant currency sales growth of 5.0% to 7.0% and GAAP EPS of 4.10 to 4.20 dollars per diluted share (Key Developments) Completed its multi year share repurchase program announced in January 2019, buying back more than 15.1 million shares for approximately 3.8 billion dollars in total consideration (Key Developments) Valuation Changes The fair value estimate has risen slightly to approximately $395 per share from about $389 per share, reflecting modest valuation upside.Narrative Update • Nov 26
WAT: Future Margins And Expanded Guidance Will Offset Slower Revenue Trends
Narrative Update on Waters: Analyst Price Target Revision Analysts have raised their price target for Waters, increasing the fair value estimate by $5.71 to $388.58. This revision is attributed to improved profit margin projections, even as revenue growth expectations have slowed.Narrative Update • Nov 07
WAT: Revenue Momentum And Expanded Guidance Will Balance Margin Risks Ahead
Analysts have raised their price target for Waters from $355.74 to $382.87. They cite significantly higher expected revenue growth, which outweighs a slight decrease in projected profit margins.Narrative Update • Oct 23
Emerging Technologies And Share Repurchases Will Support Long-Term Market Opportunities
Narrative Update on Waters Analysts have slightly raised their price target for Waters from $351.07 to $355.74. This change is attributed to modest improvements in projected revenue growth and fair value estimates.Narrative Update • Oct 09
Pharmaceutical R&D And Merger Will Unlock Future Market Potential
Analysts have raised their price target for Waters to $351.07 from $347.14, citing expectations of stronger profit margins and steady revenue growth ahead. What's in the News Waters Corporation raised its earnings guidance for the full year 2025 and projects constant currency sales growth between 5.5% and 7.5%.Analysis Article • Sep 19
Risks To Shareholder Returns Are Elevated At These Prices For Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)
Waters Corporation's ( NYSE:WAT ) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.6x might make it look like a sell right now...Narrative Update • Sep 04
Pharmaceutical R&D And Merger Will Unlock Future Market Potential
With no changes in revenue growth expectations or discount rate, Waters’ fair value estimate remains stable, as reflected in the unchanged consensus analyst price target of $350.24. What's in the News Completed buyback program with 15,195,844 shares repurchased for $3,790.62 million, representing 22.96% of shares.Analysis Article • Jul 24
Are Investors Undervaluing Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) By 36%?
Key Insights Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Waters fair value estimate is US$465 Waters is estimated to be...Seeking Alpha • Feb 21
Waters Corporation: Instrument Replacement Cycle Momentum, But Valuation Is A Concern
Summary Waters Corp reported better-than-expected Q4'24 and FY'24 results, driven by strong performance in academia, government, and pharma segments, despite FX headwinds impacting gross margins. The company anticipates continued growth in 2025, with projected revenue growth between 4.5% and 7%, supported by emerging markets like India and high-growth areas like GLP-1 and PFAS testing. Risks include elevated valuations and limited opportunities for cash deployment, making buybacks less attractive; current valuation appears challenging compared to historical averages and peers. I rate Waters Corp as a 'hold' due to solid recovery and growth potential, but caution investors to consider the premium pricing relative to value. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaSeeking Alpha • Jan 29
Weighing In On Waters Corporation: Facing A Valuation Headwind
Summary Today, we take a more in-depth look at Waters Corporation, which provides analytical workflow solutions, primarily to the Pharma and Industrial industries. WAT stock has surged 35% since July lows, but analysts are growing increasingly cautious due to valuation concerns, with mixed ratings and tepid price targets. From a historical perspective, the equity now trades at the very top of its historical P/S and P/E ratios. Can WAT shares rally with this valuation headwind? An analysis of Waters Corporation follows in the paragraphs below. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaSeeking Alpha • Nov 13
Waters Corp: Short Reinvestment Runway Diminishes High Multiples
Summary Despite a 13% stock appreciation, I maintain a neutral stance on Waters Corporation due to factors outlined in this report. Q3 FY'24 results show mixed regional performance, with China sales still a drag on performance. Opportunities to redeploy surplus funds at an advantage appear limited, reducing compounding ability. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaSeeking Alpha • Aug 15
Waters Corp.: Embedded Expectations High Under Present Conditions
Summary Waters continues to present with high-quality business characteristics, including high returns on capital employed and loads of freely available cash. Embedded expectations remain exquisitely high, calling for outsized performance in a time when business returns may be contracting. Present multiples demand high compounding rate of operating capital, which reduces the margin of safety. Reiterate hold. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaShareholder Returns
| WAT | US Life Sciences | US Market | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7D | -1.1% | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 1Y | 31.0% | 26.0% | 17.4% |
Return vs Industry: WAT matched the US Life Sciences industry which returned 26% over the past year.
Return vs Market: WAT exceeded the US Market which returned 17.4% over the past year.
Price Volatility
| WAT volatility | |
|---|---|
| WAT Average Weekly Movement | 6.3% |
| Life Sciences Industry Average Movement | 9.1% |
| Market Average Movement | 7.2% |
| 10% most volatile stocks in US Market | 16.4% |
| 10% least volatile stocks in US Market | 3.2% |
Stable Share Price: WAT has not had significant price volatility in the past 3 months compared to the US market.
Volatility Over Time: WAT's weekly volatility (6%) has been stable over the past year.
About the Company
| Founded | Employees | CEO | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 7,900 | Udit Batra | www.waters.com |
Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The company operates through two segments, Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and supports products, including chromatography columns, and other consumable products.
Waters Corporation Fundamentals Summary
| WAT fundamental statistics | |
|---|---|
| Market cap | US$36.23b |
| Earnings (TTM) | US$449.63m |
| Revenue (TTM) | US$3.77b |
80.6x
P/E Ratio9.6x
P/S RatioIs WAT overvalued?
See Fair Value and valuation analysisEarnings & Revenue
| WAT income statement (TTM) | |
|---|---|
| Revenue | US$3.77b |
| Cost of Revenue | US$1.69b |
| Gross Profit | US$2.08b |
| Other Expenses | US$1.63b |
| Earnings | US$449.63m |
Last Reported Earnings
Apr 04, 2026
Next Earnings Date
Aug 04, 2026
| Earnings per share (EPS) | 4.58 |
| Gross Margin | 55.15% |
| Net Profit Margin | 11.93% |
| Debt/Equity Ratio | 34.3% |
How did WAT perform over the long term?
See historical performance and comparisonCompany Analysis and Financial Data Status
| Data | Last Updated (UTC time) |
|---|---|
| Company Analysis | 2026/07/20 19:32 |
| End of Day Share Price | 2026/07/17 00:00 |
| Earnings | 2026/04/04 |
| Annual Earnings | 2025/12/31 |
Data Sources
The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.
| Package | Data | Timeframe | Example US Source * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Financials | 10 years |
| |
| Analyst Consensus Estimates | +3 years |
|
|
| Market Prices | 30 years |
| |
| Ownership | 10 years |
| |
| Management | 10 years |
| |
| Key Developments | 10 years |
|
* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.
Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.
Analysis Model and Snowflake
Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.
Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.
Industry and Sector Metrics
Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.
Analyst Sources
Waters Corporation is covered by 42 analysts. 23 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.
| Analyst | Institution |
|---|---|
| Catherine Ramsey Schulte | Baird |
| Luke Sergott | Barclays |
| Charles Butler | Barclays |