WAT
Waters Corporation
$399.34
▼ 0.1%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
WAT at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Neutral · 44/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 4.7% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$35.40B
P/E
86.61x
Forward P/E (est.)
121.55x
ROE
8.0%
Revenue Growth
26.4%
EPS Growth
-28.7%
Profit Margin
11.9%
FCF Yield
3.8%
Debt / Equity
0.55x
ROIC
4.0%
Interest Coverage
11.54x
Current Ratio
1.79x
Dividend Yield
—
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
7.4%
Rating Score
44/100
Waters Corporation (WAT) is a large-cap company in the Life Sciences Tools & Services industry, part of the Health Care sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $35.40B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $3.17B in revenue and $642.63M in net profit.
Our model rates WAT Neutral (44/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.
27.0% average over the last 3 years
±1.4 pts around 28.5% across 10 years
grew in 6 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 10 of 10 years
4.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what WAT's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. WAT trades near $399.34, above its 50-day average ($348.71) and 200-day average ($348.02). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 67 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. WAT's is $10.89 (~2.7% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month WAT found buyers near $351.77 (support) and sellers near $384.99 (resistance); its 52-week range is $275.05–$414.15. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.8× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
3.2%
Revenue moved from $2.17B in 2016 to $3.17B in 2025, a 4.3% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a strong 26.4% year over year. Consistent top-line growth is one sign of healthy demand.
Gross Margin
55.1%
Operating Margin
25.4%
Net Margin
20.3%
ROE
8.0%
Waters Corporation keeps about 11.9% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 55.1% gross margin and 25.4% operating margin. Return on equity is 8.0% and return on invested capital about 4.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.
Total Debt
$1.41B
Net Debt
$948.00M
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.18x
Debt / Equity
0.55x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.5x, and operating profit covers interest about 11.5x, with a current ratio of 1.8x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $1.41B of total debt against $462.00M of cash.
Operating CF
$652.55M
Free Cash Flow
$539.81M
FCF Margin
17.1%
In the latest year Waters Corporation produced about $652.55M of operating cash flow and $539.81M of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 3.8% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
P/E
86.61x
P/S
11.1x
P/B
9.78x
EV / EBITDA
—
WAT trades at 86.6x trailing earnings (about 121.6x on estimated forward earnings), 11.1x sales, and 9.8x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 7.4% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a rich multiple that prices in a lot of future growth.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$227.67
Current price
$399.34
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$539.81M
Growth, years 1–5
20.0%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where WAT sits versus its Health Care sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 83 Health Care companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How WAT stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Health Care sector (324 S&P 500 companies), WAT ranks #59 of 324 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (86.6x P/E vs. 27.3x median) with a lower return on equity (8.0% vs. 14.1%) and faster revenue growth (26.4% vs. 7.6%).
P/E vs sector
86.6x
median 27.3x
ROE vs sector
8.0%
median 14.1%
Growth vs sector
26.4%
median 7.6%
Sector rank
#59
of 324 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Health Care companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 324 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $399.34 today · expected CAGR 24% – 38%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.99B | $5.03B | $6.33B | $7.98B | $10.05B |
| Net income | $797.65M | $1.01B | $1.27B | $1.60B | $2.01B |
| EPS | $9.00 | $11.34 | $14.29 | $18.00 | $22.68 |
| Share price (low) | $467.90 | $589.56 | $742.85 | $935.98 | $1,179.34 |
| Share price (high) | $782.84 | $986.38 | $1,242.84 | $1,565.97 | $1,973.13 |
| CAGR (low–high) | 17% / 96% | 22% / 57% | 23% / 46% | 24% / 41% | 24% / 38% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for WAT:
- Revenue is growing 26.4% a year, a sign of real demand.
- As an established S&P 500 member in Health Care, it brings scale and a long operating history.
The case against WAT:
- A rich 86.6x earnings multiple prices in a lot of growth.
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Valuation risk — at 86.6x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the picture is mixed: Waters Corporation is a large-cap health care business still growing nicely, with modest profitability, and a sound balance sheet. It trades at 86.6x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (44/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 31 Wall Street analysts covering WAT recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more cautious over the last three months (-4 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
WAT's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
WAT — frequently asked questions
Is WAT a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Waters Corporation Neutral (44/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is WAT's rating on The Stocks School?
Waters Corporation currently scores 44/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does WAT's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Waters Corporation's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for WAT calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this WAT analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell WAT. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.