Waters Corporation (WAT)Healthcare | Diagnostics & Research | Milford, United States | NYSE
414.69 USD
-6.57
(-1.560%) ⇩
(Aug. 28, 2026, 4 p.m.
EDT)
After hours: 413.61 -1.08 (-1.080%) ⇩ (Aug. 28, 2026, 7:59 p.m. EDT) |
Hot Take ↕ | Aug. 22, 2026, 4:11 a.m. EDT
Waters Corporation presents a compelling growth narrative driven by its recent acquisition of BD's biosciences business, which has pushed the stock price to near its fifty-two-week highs. The technical setup is robust, trading well above both the fifty-day and two-hundred-day moving averages, supported by a bullish options flow that targets prices in the mid-forties. However, investors must navigate a precarious valuation landscape where the trailing price-to-earnings ratio exceeds one hundred times, implying that the market is pricing in substantial future earnings expansion. While the forward P/E is more reasonable, the company currently struggles with profitability metrics, posting a return on equity under two percent and burning free cash flow despite positive operating cash flow. The balance sheet carries a heavy debt load relative to cash on hand. For the short term, the momentum and M&A premium offer a decent entry, but the long-term outlook remains clouded by the need to prove sustainable profitability and cash generation to justify the current multiple. |
| Model | MAE |
|---|---|
| AutoETS ✓ | 0.021963 |
| AutoARIMA | 0.021963 |
| MSTL | 0.029340 |
| AutoTheta | 0.052922 |
Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: AutoETS
| Forecast Reliability | |
|---|---|
| Score | 46% |
| H-stat | 1.23 |
| Ljung-Box p | 0.000 |
| Jarque-Bera p | 0.712 |
| Excess Kurtosis | 0.12 |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Ex Dividend Date | 1996-11-25 |
| Debt to Equity Ratio | 36.045 |
| Revenue per Share | 62.097 |
| Market Cap | 40,716,693,504 |
| Trailing P/E | 106.33 |
| Forward P/E | 25.06 |
| Beta | 1.18 |
| Profit Margins | 3.59% |
| Website | https://www.waters.com |
As of Aug. 22, 2026, 4:11 a.m. EDT: Speculators are positioning for upside continuation with significant call volume concentrated at the 420 to 440 strike range for near-term expirations, while also placing heavy option interest at the 500 strike for later dates. Put buyers are hedging downside risk primarily around the 300 to 400 strikes, though deep out-of-the-money puts show elevated implied volatility, suggesting a fear of a sharp correction. Overall, the options flow leans bullish but acknowledges significant volatility risk.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| 52 Week Change | 0.42087162 |
| Address1 | 34 Maple Street |
| All Time High | 428.22 |
| All Time Low | 3.3125 |
| Ask | 416.01 |
| Ask Size | 160 |
| Audit Risk | 8 |
| Average Analyst Rating | 1.8 - Buy |
| Average Daily Volume10 Day | 727,880 |
| Average Daily Volume3 Month | 879,814 |
| Average Volume | 879,814 |
| Average Volume10Days | 727,880 |
| Beta | 1.184 |
| Bid | 412.0 |
| Bid Size | 80 |
| Board Risk | 6 |
| Book Value | 154.696 |
| City | Milford |
| Compensation As Of Epoch Date | 1,767,139,200 |
| Compensation Risk | 7 |
| Country | United States |
| Crypto Tradeable | 0 |
| Currency | USD |
| Current Price | 414.69 |
| Current Ratio | 1.861 |
| Custom Price Alert Confidence | HIGH |
| Date Short Interest | 1,786,665,600 |
| Day High | 422.5 |
| Day Low | 412.38 |
| Debt To Equity | 36.045 |
| Display Name | Waters |
| Earnings Call Timestamp End | 1,785,844,800 |
| Earnings Call Timestamp Start | 1,785,844,800 |
| Earnings Timestamp | 1,785,846,600 |
| Earnings Timestamp End | 1,793,363,400 |
| Earnings Timestamp Start | 1,793,363,400 |
| Ebitda | 1,452,048,000 |
| Ebitda Margins | 0.31265 |
| Enterprise To Ebitda | 31.459 |
| Enterprise To Revenue | 9.836 |
| Enterprise Value | 45,680,508,928 |
| Eps Current Year | 14.5756 |
| Eps Forward | 16.54699 |
| Eps Trailing Twelve Months | 3.9 |
| Esg Populated | 0 |
| Ex Dividend Date | 848,966,400 |
| Exchange | NYQ |
| Exchange Data Delayed By | 0 |
| Exchange Timezone Name | America/New_York |
| Exchange Timezone Short Name | EDT |
| Fax | 508 872 1990 |
| Fifty Day Average | 385.7784 |
| Fifty Day Average Change | 28.91159 |
| Fifty Day Average Change Percent | 0.07494351 |
| Fifty Two Week Change Percent | 42.087162 |
| Fifty Two Week High | 426.22 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change | -11.529999 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change Percent | -0.027051754 |
| Fifty Two Week Low | 282.77 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change | 131.92001 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent | 0.46652764 |
| Fifty Two Week Range | 282.77 - 426.22 |
| Financial Currency | USD |
| First Trade Date Milliseconds | 816,618,600,000 |
| Float Shares | 98,065,370 |
| Forward Eps | 16.54699 |
| Forward P E | 25.061357 |
| Free Cashflow | -142,067,632 |
| Full Exchange Name | NYSE |
| Full Time Employees | 16,000 |
| Fullday Change | -6.57001 |
| Fullday Change Percent | -1.55961 |
| Fullday Price | 413.61 |
| Gmt Off Set Milliseconds | -14,400,000 |
| Governance Epoch Date | 1,785,542,400 |
| Gross Margins | 0.56337 |
| Gross Profits | 2,616,463,872 |
| Has Pre Post Market Data | 1 |
| Held Percent Insiders | 0.00103 |
| Held Percent Institutions | 1.02298 |
| Implied Shares Outstanding | 98,185,855 |
| Industry | Diagnostics & Research |
| Industry Disp | Diagnostics & Research |
| Industry Key | diagnostics-research |
| Ir Website | http://www.waters.com/waters/en_US/Investors/nav.htm?locale=en_US&cid=134614445 |
| Is Earnings Date Estimate | 0 |
| Language | en-US |
| Last Fiscal Year End | 1,767,139,200 |
| Last Split Date | 967,420,800 |
| Last Split Factor | 2:1 |
| Long Business Summary | 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. It also designs, manufactures, sells, and services thermal analysis, rheometry, and calorimetry instruments for use in predicting the suitability and stability of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water, polymers, metals, and viscous liquids for various industrial, consumer goods, and healthcare products, as well as for life science research; and develops and supplies software-based products that interface with its instruments, as well as other manufacturers' instruments. In addition, the company offers MS technology, which is used in drug discovery and development comprising clinical trial testing, the analysis of proteins in disease processes, nutritional safety analysis, and environmental testing. Its products are used by clinical, pharmaceutical, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety, environmental, academic, and governmental customers working in research and development, quality assurance, and other laboratory applications. The company was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts. |
| Long Name | Waters Corporation |
| Market | us_market |
| Market Cap | 40,716,693,504 |
| Market State | CLOSED |
| Max Age | 86,400 |
| Message Board Id | finmb_36475 |
| Most Recent Quarter | 1,783,123,200 |
| Net Income To Common | 166,628,992 |
| Next Fiscal Year End | 1,798,675,200 |
| Non Diluted Market Cap | 41,361,773,277 |
| Number Of Analyst Opinions | 23 |
| Open | 417.8 |
| Operating Cashflow | 549,555,008 |
| Operating Margins | 0.09422 |
| Overall Risk | 6 |
| Payout Ratio | 0.0 |
| Peg Ratio | 1.81 |
| Phone | 508 478 2000 |
| Post Market Change | -1.0800171 |
| Post Market Change Percent | -0.26043963 |
| Post Market Price | 413.61 |
| Post Market Time | 1,787,961,561 |
| Previous Close | 421.26 |
| Price Eps Current Year | 28.450974 |
| Price Hint | 2 |
| Price To Book | 2.680677 |
| Price To Sales Trailing12 Months | 8.767052 |
| Profit Margins | 0.03588 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.053 |
| Quote Source Name | Delayed Quote |
| Quote Type | EQUITY |
| Recommendation Key | buy |
| Recommendation Mean | 1.75 |
| Region | US |
| Regular Market Change | -6.57001 |
| Regular Market Change Percent | -1.55961 |
| Regular Market Day High | 422.5 |
| Regular Market Day Low | 412.38 |
| Regular Market Day Range | 412.38 - 422.5 |
| Regular Market Open | 417.8 |
| Regular Market Previous Close | 421.26 |
| Regular Market Price | 414.69 |
| Regular Market Time | 1,787,947,202 |
| Regular Market Volume | 435,135 |
| Return On Assets | 0.03558 |
| Return On Equity | 0.019199999 |
| Revenue Growth | 1.134 |
| Revenue Per Share | 62.097 |
| Sand P52 Week Change | 0.20504117 |
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Sector Disp | Healthcare |
| Sector Key | healthcare |
| Share Holder Rights Risk | 4 |
| Shares Outstanding | 98,185,855 |
| Shares Percent Shares Out | 0.037 |
| Shares Short | 3,635,708 |
| Shares Short Previous Month Date | 1,784,073,600 |
| Shares Short Prior Month | 3,662,258 |
| Short Name | Waters Corporation |
| Short Percent Of Float | 0.037100002 |
| Short Ratio | 4.12 |
| Source Interval | 15 |
| State | MA |
| Symbol | WAT |
| Target High Price | 475.0 |
| Target Low Price | 349.0 |
| Target Mean Price | 436.0 |
| Target Median Price | 440.0 |
| Total Cash | 539,000,000 |
| Total Cash Per Share | 5.486 |
| Total Debt | 5,477,000,192 |
| Total Revenue | 4,644,285,952 |
| Tradeable | 0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Rate | 0.0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Yield | 0.0 |
| Trailing Eps | 3.9 |
| Trailing P E | 106.330765 |
| Trailing Peg Ratio | 1.8388 |
| Triggerable | 1 |
| Two Hundred Day Average | 359.85675 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change | 54.833252 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent | 0.15237522 |
| Type Disp | Equity |
| Volume | 435,135 |
| Website | https://www.waters.com |
| Zip | 1,757 |