WATHealthcare · Diagnostics & ResearchThe 24 Wall Street analysts covering Waters Corp. hold a median 12-month price target of $456 — +4.6% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 53 of 100 as at 6 Oct 2026 — in the upper half.
Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Waters Corp. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.
Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested
Volatility (86): The share price has been relatively steady.
Issuance (8): The company has been issuing shares or taking on financing, diluting existing holders.
Size (6): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.
Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.
The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on WAT, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.
Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Data provided by Twelve Data
The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +4.6% from it.
Of the 20 most recent actions, 10 moved their price target up and 0 moved it down.
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2026 | Guggenheim | Maintains | Buy | $440 → $490 |
| 21 Sept 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 21 Sept 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | $465 → $515 |
| 9 Sept 2026 | UBS | Upgrade | Buy | — |
| 9 Sept 2026 | UBS | Upgrade | Buy | $375 → $490 |
| 27 Aug 2026 | Piper Sandler | Upgrade | Overweight | $400 → $480 |
| 27 Aug 2026 | Piper Sandler | Upgrade | Overweight | — |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Citigroup | Maintains | Buy | $425 → $470 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Citigroup | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Barclays | Maintains | Overweight | $425 → $460 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Barclays | Maintains | Overweight | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Evercore ISI Group | Maintains | Outperform | $410 → $420 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Evercore ISI Group | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | RBC Capital | Maintains | Outperform | $435 → $475 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | RBC Capital | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | TD Cowen | Upgrade | Buy | $408 → $475 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | TD Cowen | Upgrade | Buy | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Wells Fargo | Maintains | Equal-Weight | $370 → $400 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Wells Fargo | Maintains | Equal-Weight | — |
| 14 July 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | — |
Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.
Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. WAT appears on the weeks it earns a place.
Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.
Over the twelve months to 7 Oct 2026, Waters Corp. returned +37.0% against +17.7% for the S&P 500, dividends included.
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Data provided by Twelve Data
Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.
A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.
Cheaper than 7% of US stocks
Cheaper than 15% of US stocks
Cheaper than 34% of US stocks
Cheaper than 8% of US stocks
Higher than 93% of US stocks
Higher than 85% of US stocks
Higher than 55% of US stocks
Higher than 63% of US stocks
Higher than 56% of US stocks
Higher than 47% of US stocks
Higher than 69% of US stocks
Higher than 1% of US dividend payers
Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.
The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.
Waters Corp. has a market value of $42.9B and an enterprise value of $47.8B.
Revenue in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $4.6B. The latest quarter grew 113.4% year on year.
Net income over the same four quarters: $166.1M, a 3.6% net margin.
Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $4.01.
Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $398.8M.
Waters Corp. spent $14.7M on share buybacks in the twelve months to 30 June 2026.
Trailing P/E: 110.5×; forward P/E: 26.4× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.
Forward dividend yield: 0.00%, paying out 0% of earnings.
Waters Corp. employs 16,000 people — $290K of revenue per employee.
Data provided by Twelve Data
The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.
Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.
The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Waters Corp. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →
Waters Corporation announced it will hold its third quarter 2026 earnings conference call on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. The call will cover the company's Q3 2026 financial results.
Why it matters — A Waters watcher would care because this sets the date and time when the company will disclose its third quarter 2026 financial performance.
Waters CEO Udit Batra reported that the company's second-quarter performance exceeded expectations, driven by broad-based growth in its legacy analytical-science operations and early progress integrating acquired Becton Dickinson businesses.
Why it matters — WAT watchers would care because the quarterly results indicate momentum from both the core analytics business and the newly integrated BD acquisitions, suggesting progress on key growth drivers.
Waters shares rebounded sharply from $300 to $425 on solid organic and acquired sales growth. The company only modestly raised its full-year earnings guidance to around $14 per share, while valuations expanded to roughly 28-29x earnings, making the stock less appealing despite credible margin expansion and growth plans.
Why it matters — Investors tracking Waters would note the significant share-price appreciation, tepid earnings guidance raise, and expanding valuation as key factors in assessing the stock's attractiveness.
Waters Corporation presented at the U.S. All Stars Conference, and a transcript of the presentation was published on Seeking Alpha. The item is a conference presentation transcript rather than a substantive news announcement.
Why it matters — A WAT watcher would care because conference remarks can offer insight into management's perspective on the company's business and strategy.
Waters (WAT) launched the BD FACSDiscover A7 globally, introducing advanced spectral flow cytometry, automation, and standardized workflows for research laboratories.
Why it matters — A WAT watcher would care because this global product launch expands Waters' offerings in the flow cytometry research market.
The 24 Wall Street analysts covering Waters Corp. have a median 12-month price target of $456, with estimates ranging from $349 to $515. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Of the 24 analysts covering Waters Corp., 18 rate it a Buy, 6 a Hold and 0 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Waters Corp. 53 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 6 Oct 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.
As at 6 Oct 2026, Waters Corp. ranks 53 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Volatility (86 of 100).
No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 24 analysts implies +4.6% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Waters Corp. 53 out of 100 as at 6 Oct 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.
No analyst covering Waters Corp. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for WAT are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $349 to $515 over the next 12 months.
Waters Corp. returned +37.0% over the 12 months to 7 Oct 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.
Waters Corporation is a global analytical instruments and life sciences company headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts. Waters Corporation provides liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis systems, along with chromatography columns, laboratory consumables, software, and related services.
The most recent item we track (PRNewsWire, 1 Oct 2026): "Waters Corporation Schedules Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call". Waters Corporation announced it will hold its third quarter 2026 earnings conference call on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. The call will cover the company's Q3 2026 financial results.
Waters Corporation is a global analytical instruments and life sciences company headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts. Waters Corporation provides liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis systems, along with chromatography columns, laboratory consumables, software, and related services. Its solutions support drug discovery and development, clinical testing, quality control, and research across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic, industrial, food, environmental, and government laboratories. The company also serves materials science applications through thermal analysis, rheometry, and calorimetry instruments used to assess physical and chemical properties of a wide range of substances. Waters Corporation plays an important role in laboratory workflows by helping customers identify, separate, measure, and characterize complex compounds with precision and consistency.
CEO Dr. Udit Batra Ph.D. · 16,000 employees · United States · https://www.waters.com
