Stock Price & Analysis

Based on the provided data and recent market activity, here's a concise analysis of WAT stock:

Technical Analysis

The stock is showing bearish signals with:

• Recent decline from $333.49 to $325.21 (Feb 16)
• Trading below key resistance levels
• RSI at 31.23 indicates approaching oversold territory
• MACD showing negative momentum with -1.42

Fundamental Assessment

Waters Corporation's valuation metrics show:

• P/E ratio of 30.38x (2023)
• EV/EBITDA of 20.94x
• Price/Sales of 6.60x
• No dividend yield

Recent Events & Catalysts

• Q1 2025 guidance disappointed markets with EPS forecast of $2.17-$2.25, below consensus of $2.41
• Stock dropped over 5% following the weak guidance announcement
• Barclays maintains Hold rating with $400 price target

Analyst Sentiment

Current analyst consensus shows:

• 18 analysts covering the stock
• Consensus "Hold" rating
• Mean price target of $378.94

Recommendation SELL - The combination of:

1. Weak technical indicators
2. Premium valuation multiples
3. Disappointing guidance
4. Limited near-term catalysts suggests taking profits at current levels would be prudent.

Based on the available data and market analysis, here's the price prediction for Waters Corporation (WAT) in 2025:

Waters Corporation's stock price is expected to reach $415-425 by the end of 2025, representing a potential upside of 12-15% from current levels. This projection is supported by:

Technical Analysis:

• Current price is testing key Fibonacci support level at $376.51
• RSI-14 at 31.23 indicates oversold conditions, suggesting potential reversal
• MACD showing bearish momentum but approaching oversold territory
• Price trading below all major moving averages (5,10,20-day SMAs)

Fundamental Drivers:

• Strong Q4 2024 performance with record operating income and adjusted EPS
• Analysts have recently raised their price targets following better-than-expected results
• Average analyst target price was $380.06 in early 2025, with targets ranging from $320 to $430
• Company's continued execution on new product development and long-term strategy advancement

Market Context:

• Overall market sentiment remains positive for 2025, with most Wall Street analysts projecting 10-15% gains for the broader market
• The stock's current technical setup suggests a potential bottoming formation, providing an attractive risk/reward entry point

The S1 support level for WAT Stock is $371.87 ,The R1 resistant level for WAT Stock is $412.84.

As of the end of day on 2025-02-19, the price of WAT Stock was $375.5.

The target price for WAT Stock according to analyst rating is 410.08, with the highest price target at 450.00 and the lowest at 360.00. Analysts have a Moderate Buy rating on WAT Stock overall.

The market cap of WAT is $22.3B.

Based on the provided data, I'll analyze if WAT is overvalued through multiple aspects.

Technical Analysis WAT is currently trading at $369.73, significantly below its recent peak and showing bearish momentum with RSI-14 at 31.23 indicating oversold conditions. The stock is trading below its 20-day moving average of $405.74, suggesting short-term weakness.

Valuation Assessment Waters Corporation recently reported weaker-than-expected Q1 2025 guidance of $2.17-$2.25 EPS, falling short of consensus expectations of $2.41. This guidance miss triggered a significant stock decline of over 7%.

Analyst Sentiment Recent analyst actions show mixed views:

• Barclays maintains Hold rating with $400 price target
• TD Cowen issued Hold rating
• Wells Fargo maintains Buy rating

Market Position The company's strong position in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry markets provides competitive advantages, but current valuation appears stretched given:

• Weaker-than-expected guidance
• Technical weakness below key moving averages
• Recent significant price decline following earnings

Conclusion WAT appears overvalued at current levels based on weak guidance, technical deterioration, and valuation concerns. The stock's recent decline reflects justified market concerns about near-term growth prospects.

Waters Corporation offers analytical instruments and software across chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis innovations serving the life, materials, food, and environmental sciences. The Company primarily designs, manufactures, sells and services high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products and comprehensive post-warranty service plans. Its segments include Waters and TA. The Waters segment is primarily in the business of designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing liquid chromatography (LC) and MS instrument systems, columns and other precision chemistry consumables that can be integrated and used along with other analytical instruments. The TA segment is primarily in the business of designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments.

Based on the available data and market analysis, here's a projection for Waters Corporation (WAT) stock price in 2030:

Waters Corporation's stock is projected to reach approximately $520-540 by 2030, driven by several key factors:

1. Strong Technical Foundation: The stock has shown resilient support levels around $380 with multiple analysts setting price targets in this range. Recent crossing above the average analyst target of $380.06 indicates positive momentum.

2. Industry Leadership: Waters maintains its position as a leading analytical instrument manufacturer, with recent record-breaking quarterly results showing sustained business growth. The company's focus on new product development and long-term strategy execution suggests continued market leadership.

3. Market Expansion: The analytical instruments market is expected to grow significantly through 2030, driven by increased demand in pharmaceutical research, environmental testing, and life sciences applications.

WAT has a total of 7900 employees.