WAT Waters Corporation
$434.41
▼ 2.2%Updated Oct 16, 2:25 PM ET
Report Card
WAT at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
How the 0–100 rating is calculatedOverall: 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.
Price — Past Year
▲ Up 4.7% in the year to Jul 6, 2026
Key Metrics
Market Cap
$35.40B
P/E
94.21x
Forward P/E (est.)
132.23x
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
1.86x
Dividend Yield
—
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
7.4%
Rating Score
44/100
Business Overview
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.
Economic Moat
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Profit margins and economic moats, explainedSome 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 (Educational)
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 $434.41, 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 (~2.5% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. In the month to Jul 6, 2026, WAT found buyers near $351.77 (support) and sellers near $384.99 (resistance); its 52-week range then was $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. The indicators were last computed on Jul 6, 2026; the price is current.
Revenue Growth
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.
Profitability
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.
Debt Analysis
Total Debt
$1.41B
Net Debt
$871.00M
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.09x
Debt / Equity
0.55x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.5x, and operating profit covers interest about 11.5x, with a current ratio of 1.9x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $1.41B of total debt against $539.00M of cash.
Cash Flow Analysis
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.
Valuation Analysis
P/E
94.21x
P/S
11.1x
P/B
10.64x
EV / EBITDA
—
WAT trades at 94.2x trailing earnings (about 132.2x on estimated forward earnings), 11.1x sales, and 10.6x 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.
DCF Fair Value (Educational)
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
How this DCF estimate is calculatedDCF fair value / share
$227.53
Current price
$434.41
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.
Metrics vs. Sector Range
Where WAT sits versus the Health Care companies we cover.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 83 Health Care companies in our coverage that have fundamentals data — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
Sector Peer Comparison
How WAT stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
Among the 83 rated Health Care companies we cover, WAT ranks #59 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (94.2x P/E vs. 26.1x 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
94.2x
median 26.1x
ROE vs sector
8.0%
median 14.1%
Growth vs sector
26.4%
median 7.6%
Sector rank
#59
of 83 rated
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, preferring ones with full data. Sector medians and rank use the 83 rated companies among the 324 Health Care stocks we cover. Educational, not a recommendation.
5-Year Projection Model
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
What drives this projection, and its limits2030 scenario price range (Base Case)
$1,381.60 – $2,319.11
vs. $434.41 today · implied CAGR 26% – 40%
| 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 | $9.79 | $12.33 | $15.54 | $19.58 | $24.67 |
| Share price (low) | $548.15 | $690.67 | $870.24 | $1,096.50 | $1,381.60 |
| Share price (high) | $920.11 | $1,159.34 | $1,460.76 | $1,840.56 | $2,319.11 |
| CAGR (low–high) | 26% / 112% | 26% / 63% | 26% / 50% | 26% / 43% | 26% / 40% |
Educational scenario model, not a forecast or investment advice. It starts from the latest annual revenue in SEC filings. By default, growth is trailing revenue growth (held between 3% and 45% a year), the net margin is the latest one (held between 3% and 50%, so a loss-making company is modeled with a small profit), and the Base case P/E runs from 60% to 100% of today's. Carrying recent growth forward five years can miss badly in either direction. Outputs are only as good as the assumptions.
Bull Case
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.
Bear Case
The case against WAT:
- A rich 94.2x 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.
Key Risks
Valuation risk — at 94.2x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
Investment Thesis
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 94.2x 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 (September 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+7 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. How to read a 10-K
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 starts from the latest annual revenue and net margin in SEC filings, grows revenue at an assumed rate (trailing revenue growth by default), and applies a P/E range built around today's multiple to show the resulting share-price range. When a stock has no growth or P/E data, the starting values are placeholders. 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.