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Waters Corporation (WAT) Stock Analysis

Falling Knife setup · Temp Headwind edge

SellModerate Confidence

Healthcare · Diagnostics & Research

Earnings in 5 days (2026-05-05). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Sell if holding. Momentum 1.1/10 is below the 5.0 floor at $302.80 — engine's falling-knife protection flags exit rather than catching a breakdown. Specifics: Earnings in 5 days (event risk); Weak overall score: 4.9/10.

Waters Corporation designs, manufactures, and services liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis instruments for pharmaceutical, industrial, and food sciences customers. On Feb 9, 2026, Waters completed the $16.8B acquisition of BD's Biosciences and... Read more

$302.80+15.4% A.UpsideScore 4.9/10#21 of 25 Diagnostics & Research
Stop $279.51Target $346.95(analyst − 10%)A.R:R 2.0:1
Analyst target$385.50+27.3%22 analysts
$346.95our TP
$302.80price
$385.50mean
$470

Sell if holding. Momentum 1.1/10 is below the 5.0 floor at $302.80 — engine's falling-knife protection flags exit rather than catching a breakdown. Specifics: Earnings in 5 days (event risk); Weak overall score: 4.9/10. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 40, MACD bearish. Score 4.9/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (favorable risk/reward ratio, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and death cross (50MA < 200MA) and earnings proximity 5d<=7d. Suitability: moderate.

Thesis

Rewards
Strong earnings beat streak (3/4)
High-quality business
Risks
Earnings in 5 days (event risk)
Weak overall score: 4.9/10
Weak growth

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)27.2
P/E (Fwd)17.9
Mkt Cap$28.7B
EV/EBITDA27.1
Profit Mgn20.3%
ROE29.3%
Rev Growth6.8%
Beta1.20
DividendNone
Rating analysts28

Quality Signals

Piotroski F8/9

Options Flow

P/C3.35bearish
IV58%elevated
Max Pain$200-33.9% vs spot

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • MEDIUMSupplierkey subcontractors in Singapore
    10-K Item 1A: 'key subcontractors providing manufacturing and support that are located in Singapore'

Material Events(8-K, last 90d)

  • 2026-02-09Item 1.01LOW
    On Feb 9, 2026, Waters completed the $16.8B BDS Business Acquisition from Becton Dickinson via Reverse Morris Trust. Waters entered into Merger Agreement, Separation Agreement, Tax Matters Agreement, and Transition Services Agreements. BD shareholders received ~38.5M Waters shares (~39.2% of combined company).
    SEC filing →

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers

Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static

Macd
0.0
Volume
0.0
Obv
1.0
Ma Position
1.0
Rsi
3.5
Volume distribution (falling OBV)Below 200-MA, MA slope -1.5%/30d — confirmed downtrend

Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Earnings Growth
1.4
Revenue Growth
4.2

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Value Rank
2.9
Growth Rank
3.6
Quality Rank
8.3
Superior ROE vs peersBest-in-class margins
GatesMomentum 1.1<4.5Death cross (50MA < 200MA)EARNINGS PROXIMITY 5d<=7dA.R:R 2.0 ≥ 1.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARFalling KnifeSuitability: Moderate
RSI
40 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $287.19Resistance $346.78

Price Targets

$280
$347
A.Upside+14.6%
A.R:R2.0:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Momentum score 1.1/10 — below 4.5 minimum
! Death cross — 50-day MA below 200-day MA
! EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:5d<=7d

Earnings

B
B
B
M
3/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-05-05 (5d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WAT stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Momentum 1.1/10 is below the 5.0 floor at $302.80 — engine's falling-knife protection flags exit rather than catching a breakdown. Specifics: Earnings in 5 days (event risk); Weak overall score: 4.9/10. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 40, MACD bearish. Prior stop was $279.51. Score 4.9/10, moderate confidence.

What is the WAT stock price target?

Take-profit target: $346.95 (+15.4% upside). Prior stop was $279.51. Stop-loss: $279.51.

What are the risks of investing in WAT?

Earnings in 5 days (event risk); Weak overall score: 4.9/10; Weak growth.

Is WAT overvalued or undervalued?

Waters Corporation trades at a P/E of 27.2 (forward 17.9). TrendMatrix value score: 5.2/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about WAT?

28 analysts cover WAT with a consensus score of 3.9/5. Average price target: $386.

What does Waters Corporation do?Waters Corporation designs, manufactures, and services liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis...

Waters Corporation designs, manufactures, and services liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis instruments for pharmaceutical, industrial, and food sciences customers. On Feb 9, 2026, Waters completed the $16.8B acquisition of BD's Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions (BDS), expanding into clinical diagnostics and flow cytometry.

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