Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) Stock Forecast Oct. 16, 2026
Analysis updated on Oct. 16, 2026 (UTC) · Alpha · vs marketSwitch to Total · NYSE
Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) stock forecast summary
On Oct. 16, 2026, WAT is rated Neutral: its 90-day Alpha forecast sits in the middle 30% of the 5171 stocks scored that day.
Waters Corp /De/ is a large-cap company with a market capitalization of $43.64B. It ranks number 2 by market capitalization among the 25 Laboratory Analytical Instruments issuers in our coverage with a current forecast.
For WAT, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 68.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 40.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
Expected return relative to the market over the horizon: a positive alpha means the model expects the stock to beat the market, whatever the market does. Ratings: strong buy ≥ +1.7%, buy ≥ +0.2%, sell < -0.9%, strong sell < -1.2% (top 15%, next 20%, middle 30%, next 20%, bottom 15% of the 2026-10-16 signals)
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How WAT ranks among 5171 stocks
90D Alpha forecasts of every company scored, cut into five relative ratings at the 15th, 35th, 65th and 85th percentiles (dashed lines).
Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) fundamentals
Trailing twelve months. The industry median and the rank (1 = highest) are taken over the Laboratory Analytical Instruments peers listed below that report each metric.
Valuation & Market
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $43.64B | 2/25 |
| P/E Ratio | 91.20x | 2/7 |
| P/B Ratio | 2.87x | 10/23 |
| EPS | $4.87 | – |
| Book Value/Share | $154.66 | – |
| Revenue/Share | $47.27 | – |
Profitability & Margins
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ROIC | 1.5% | 4/20 |
| Operating Margin | 7.1% | 4/21 |
| EBT Margin | 4.4% | 6/22 |
| Tax Rate | 19.1% | – |
Financial Health
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.86x | 19/25 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.29x | 20/24 |
| D/E Ratio | 0.63x | 10/24 |
| Financial Leverage | 1.63x | 10/23 |
| Working Capital | $2.07B | 2/25 |
Cash Flow
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $550M | 6/24 |
| OCF Growth YoY | -26.2% | 9/12 |
Operational Efficiency
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Turnover | 0.19x | 19/20 |
| Receivables Turnover | 2.3x | 19/19 |
| Fixed Assets Turnover | 3.1x | 17/21 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 156 days | 1/19 |
Income Statement
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $4.64B | 3/21 |
| Operating Income | $330M | 4/21 |
| R&D Expense | $319M | 4/21 |
| SG&A Expense | $1.25B | 3/20 |
Dividend & Shareholder Information
| Metric | WAT | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Outstanding | 98M | – |
| EPS Growth | -56.1% | 5/8 |
Balance Sheet Highlights (USD millions)
| Total Current Assets | $4.46B | 18.0% of assets |
| Cash & Short-term Investments | $539M | 2.2% of assets |
| Accounts Receivable | $1.99B | 8.0% of assets |
| Inventory | $1.38B | 5.6% of assets |
| Total Liabilities | $9.56B | 38.6% of assets |
| Short-term Debt | $1.54B | 6.2% of assets |
WAT quarterly financials and insider trading
Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) industry peers
Companies classified under the same SEC industry code as Waters Corp /De/ (Laboratory Analytical Instruments): 25 common-stock issuers with a forecast this week, one row per issuer, largest first. This is a classification match, not a curated list of competitors.
Reveal all forecasts · See exact % predictions for all competitors
Sign up free| Company | 90-Day AI Forecast (Alpha) | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| WAT Waters Corp /De/ | ▶ | $43.64B |
| A Agilent Technologies, Inc. | ▼ | $48.75B |
| ILMN Illumina, Inc. | ▲ | $39.64B |
| MTD Mettler Toledo International Inc/ | ▼ | $32.84B |
| RVTY Revvity, Inc. | ▶ | $17.26B |
| AVTR Avantor, Inc. | ▼ | $11.19B |
| BIO Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | ▶ | $9.46B |
| TXG 10x Genomics, Inc. | ▲ | $9.43B |
| BRKR Bruker Corp | ▲ | $8.35B |
| ALMR Alamar Biosciences, Inc. | ▲ | $1.75B |
| CTKB Cytek Biosciences, Inc. | ▲ | $682M |
| PACB Pacific Biosciences Of California, Inc. | ▲ | $609M |
| MASS 908 Devices Inc. | ▲ | $491M |
| NAUT Nautilus Biotechnology, Inc. | ▲ | $275M |
| EYPT Eyepoint, Inc. | ▲ | $258M |
| BFNH Bioforce Nanosciences Holdings, Inc. | ▼ | $221M |
| QTRX Quanterix Corp | ▲ | $145M |
| SEER Seer, Inc. | ▲ | $113M |
| RPID Rapid Micro Biosystems, Inc. | ▲ | $42M |
| PRPO Precipio, Inc. | ▲ | $40M |
| HBIO Harvard Bioscience Inc | ▼ | $38M |
| BNGO Bionano Genomics, Inc. | ▲ | $16M |
| LCTC Lifeloc Technologies, Inc | ▲ | $11M |
| ASTC Astrotech Corp | ▲ | $10M |
| SCND Scientific Industries Inc | ▲ | $8M |
Where WAT sits on the market map
Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) stock news
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Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) stock forecast FAQ
What is the Waters Corp /De/ (WAT) stock forecast?
On Oct. 16, 2026, WAT is rated Neutral: its 90-day Alpha forecast sits in the middle 30% of the 5171 stocks scored that day.
How accurate are Waters Corp /De/ stock predictions?
For WAT, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 68.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 40.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
How often are Waters Corp /De/ forecasts updated?
Waters Corp /De/ forecasts are refreshed on trading days as the daily model run completes. The forecast on this page was produced on Oct. 16, 2026.
Which companies are Waters Corp /De/'s industry peers?
25 issuers in our coverage, WAT included, share the SEC industry code Laboratory Analytical Instruments. The largest are: Agilent Technologies, Inc. (A), Illumina, Inc. (ILMN), Mettler Toledo International Inc/ (MTD), Revvity, Inc. (RVTY), Avantor, Inc. (AVTR), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (BIO).
This analysis is generated automatically using our proprietary AI systems and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.