Waters Corporation (WAT) Stock Price, Fundamentals & Analysis

What WAT does

Waters Corporation (WAT) provides analytical workflow solutions across Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The company operates through two segments, Waters and TA, designing, manufacturing, selling, and servicing liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems, along with columns and other consumables. It also produces thermal analysis, rheometry, and calorimetry instruments used in fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water, polymers, metals, and viscous liquids, and supplies software that interfaces with its own and other manufacturers' instruments. Its MS technology supports drug discovery and development, including clinical trial testing, protein analysis, nutritional safety, and environmental testing.

Key numbers explained

• 420.57 USD is the current share price, representing the latest trading value of one share.
• The trailing P/E ratio of 106.2 divides the current price by the last 12 months' earnings per share (3.96 USD), showing how much investors pay per dollar of recent earnings.
• The forward P/E ratio of 25.4 uses expected future earnings, offering a view of valuation based on analyst estimates.
• 0% dividend yield and 0% of earnings paid out as dividends mean the company currently does not distribute cash to shareholders.
• 1.19 beta indicates the stock's historical volatility relative to the market; a value above 1 suggests it tends to move more than the market.
• 41.29B USD marketCap is the total value of all outstanding shares, placing Waters among large-cap companies.
• 45.5% price change over the last 52 weeks shows the stock's one-year return, while the 52-week range of 282.77 – 433.09 shows its recent trading band.
• 113.4% revenue growth year over year and 4.64B USD trailing 12-month revenue highlight the company's top-line expansion.

Recent news

Recent headlines note that Waters delivered robust results, with Goldman Sachs adjusting its price target to 515 from 465 while maintaining a Buy rating. The company also launched the BD FACSDiscover A7 for advanced flow cytometry, and several articles compare its stock performance to other healthcare stocks and discuss large-cap and cash-producing investment considerations.

What to watch

As part of the S&P 500, Waters' performance can be influenced by broader market moves and investor sentiment toward large-cap healthcare names. Investors often compare it with peers such as Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO), Baxter International (BAX), and Stryker Corporation (SYK) to gauge relative valuation and growth. Key factors for this kind of stock include research and product cycles, regulatory developments, healthcare spending trends, and currency effects given its global operations.