WATHealthcare · Diagnostics & ResearchThe 23 Wall Street analysts covering Waters Corp. hold a median 12-month price target of $470 — -2.1% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 58 of 100 as at 28 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
Revisions (90): Analysts have, on balance, been raising their forecasts.
Issuance (8): The company has been issuing shares or taking on financing, diluting existing holders.
Size (5): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.
Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs systematic trader with 15+ 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 −2.1% from it.
Of the 20 most recent actions, 11 moved their price target up and 0 moved it down.
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 2026 | TD Cowen | Maintains | Buy | $475 → $515 |
| 7 Oct 2026 | Barclays | Maintains | Overweight | $460 → $500 |
| 1 Oct 2026 | Guggenheim | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 1 Oct 2026 | Guggenheim | Maintains | Buy | $440 → $490 |
| 21 Sept 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | $465 → $515 |
| 21 Sept 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 9 Sept 2026 | UBS | Upgrade | Buy | $375 → $490 |
| 9 Sept 2026 | UBS | Upgrade | Buy | — |
| 27 Aug 2026 | Piper Sandler | Upgrade | Overweight | $400 → $480 |
| 27 Aug 2026 | Piper Sandler | Upgrade | Overweight | — |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Citigroup | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Citigroup | Maintains | Buy | $425 → $470 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Barclays | Maintains | Overweight | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Barclays | Maintains | Overweight | $425 → $460 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Evercore ISI Group | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Evercore ISI Group | Maintains | Outperform | $410 → $420 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | RBC Capital | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | RBC Capital | Maintains | Outperform | $435 → $475 |
| 5 Aug 2026 | TD Cowen | Upgrade | Buy | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | TD Cowen | Upgrade | Buy | $408 → $475 |
Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
WAT appears in the Radar on the weeks it earns a place.
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Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.
Over the twelve months to 29 Oct 2026, Waters Corp. returned +39.8% against +13.1% for the S&P 500, dividends included.
Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.
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 6% of US stocks
Cheaper than 14% of US stocks
Cheaper than 30% of US stocks
Cheaper than 7% 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 $46.0B and an enterprise value of $51.0B.
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: 118.6×; forward P/E: 28.3× — 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 →
Zacks Investment Research says Waters’ Q3 results are likely to benefit from revenue growth prospects, rising demand and acquisition gains.
Why it matters — These factors are presented as potential contributors to Waters’ upcoming quarterly results.
Waters announced AI-Powered Peak Integration for Empower Software, adding to its portfolio of premium AI capabilities. The company says the feature can reduce manual interventions by up to 95%, improve accuracy by 76%, and reduce user-to-user variability by 72%.
Why it matters — The launch advances Waters’ strategy to embed AI, machine learning, and automation in Empower’s validated environment for regulated laboratories.
Waters is partnering with Labcorp to expand access to FDA-approved HPV testing by late 2026.
Why it matters — A WAT watcher may note the partnership's potential to increase adoption of diagnostics and cervical cancer screening.
First Eagle U.S. Value Fund A Shares returned 4.36% in the third quarter of 2026, excluding sales charges, and the fund outperformed the S&P 500. The excerpt also noted strong performance by Meta shares following the reception of its Muse AI app.
Why it matters — The excerpt provides no information about Waters Corp. or its portfolio position, so it offers no direct WAT-specific context.
Waters and Labcorp announced plans to expand access to FDA-approved HPV testing using the BD Onclarity HPV Assay, with Labcorp intending to offer screening through clinician- and self-collected options in clinics, patient service centers, and at home beginning in late 2026. The assay supports comprehensive extended genotyping and all ASCCP Enduring Risk-Based Management Guidelines.
Why it matters — WAT watchers may note the planned expansion of access to testing using the BD Onclarity HPV Assay through Labcorp’s nationwide network.
The 23 Wall Street analysts covering Waters Corp. have a median 12-month price target of $470, with estimates ranging from $349 to $530. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Of the 23 analysts covering Waters Corp., 18 rate it a Buy, 4 a Hold and 1 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Waters Corp. 58 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 28 Oct 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.
As at 28 Oct 2026, Waters Corp. ranks 58 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 Revisions (90 of 100).
No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 23 analysts implies -2.1% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Waters Corp. 58 out of 100 as at 28 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 $530 over the next 12 months.
Waters Corp. returned +39.8% over the 12 months to 29 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 (Zacks Investment Research, 28 Oct 2026): "Waters Gears Up to Report Q3 Results: How to Play the Stock?". Zacks Investment Research says Waters’ Q3 results are likely to benefit from revenue growth prospects, rising demand and acquisition gains.
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
