Waters Corporation (WAT) earnings on May 5, 2026
More Waters Corporation earnings
Prior outlook: Optimistic Outcome: Accurate
The stock surged 13.43% after earnings, hitting a 14.12% high during the day, building on a positive outlook investors had beforehand.
WAT price around the earnings
342.42
Change: +13.4%
2026-05-05, 19:59 UTC
- Price: green if it ends above the starting price; red if it ends below
- Market open
- Starting price
Prior thesis
Prior outlook: Optimistic Outcome: Accurate
- Thesis published
Strong positive momentum, FDA approval; the price tends to climb in such scenarios.
Experts see strong positive momentum driven by a recent FDA approval. Despite some neutral analyst actions, the overall outlook is optimistic, especially heading into earnings.
Context analyzed before publication
- Summary
- Strong positive momentum, FDA approval; the outlook is optimistic.
- Playbook
- Experts point to an optimistic scenario, supported by recent positive developments.
- Trend
- Outlook improved sharply from prior weakness.
Analysts
Drivers
-
Analysts
Neutral
While the overall analyst view is optimistic, some recent actions from major firms are neutral. This limits the upside from analyst sentiment alone.
Evidence
- Analyst consensus
- Buy
- Consensus average (1-5)
- 1.95
- Analysts covering the stock
- 22
- Average price target
- 385.5
- Lowest price target
- 330
- Highest price target
- 470
- Upside to price target
- 15%
- Quarterly earnings growth
- -2.7%
- Revenue growth
- 6.8%
- Forward EPS
- 16.34
- Trailing EPS
- 10.76
- Analyst moves in the last 60 days
- 3
- Strong buy: 1
- Buy: 11
- Hold: 10
- Sell: 0
- Strong sell: 0
- Strong buy
- 1
- Buy
- 11
- Hold
- 10
- Sell
- 0
- Strong sell
- 0
- April 13, 2026 · UBS: Maintains rating (Neutral → Neutral)
- March 25, 2026 · Deutsche Bank: Maintains rating (Hold → Hold)
- February 23, 2026 · Morgan Stanley: Maintains rating (Equal-Weight → Equal-Weight)
News and sentiment
Drivers
-
News & sentiment
Positive
The FDA's clearance of a new product is a significant positive event, generating favorable news. Investor sentiment is currently very positive but not excessively so, aligning with the positive trend.
Evidence
Sentiment
- Sentiment
- Constructive
- Mention volume
- Low
- Normalized volume
- 33%
News
Sources (4)
- UBS Maintains Neutral on Waters, Lowers Price Target to $330 — Benzinga
- Waters Stock Shoots Higher As FDA Clears At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Kit — Benzinga
- Waters Corp's Onclarity HPV Self-Collection Kit Cleared By FDA For At-Home Use To Expand Cervical Cancer Screening — Benzinga
- Deutsche Bank Maintains Hold on Waters, Lowers Price Target to $330 — Benzinga
Technicals
Drivers
-
Technical
Positive
The stock's recent performance over 14 and 30 days shows strong positive momentum, significantly outperforming the broader market. This technical strength is a key factor in the current scenario.
Evidence
- Average true range (ATR)
- 2.8%
- Distance to 52-week high
- -19.1%
- 14-day change (14d)
- +11.8%
- 30-day change
- +11.9%
- 30-day relative strength
- +8.1%
- Benchmark change
- +3.8%
- Nearest support
- 282.97
- Nearest resistance
- 346.47
- Volume accumulation ratio
- 0.91
Trends
Evidence
- Average earnings surprise
- +1.8%
- February 9, 2026: actual EPS 4.53 vs estimate 4.51 (surprise +0.5%)
- November 4, 2025: actual EPS 3.4 vs estimate 3.22 (surprise +5.5%)
- August 4, 2025: actual EPS 2.95 vs estimate 2.94 (surprise +0.3%)
- May 6, 2025: actual EPS 2.25 vs estimate 2.22 (surprise +1.2%)
Expected move
There is no implied-move data available for this event.
Reactions over its last 19 earnings
- Median move
- 3.4%
- 75th percentile move
- 6.5%
- 90th percentile move
- 8.7%
- Up / down moves
- 11 / 8
- Average up move
- +4.9%
- Average down move
- -5.3%
Monitoring and close
What Waters Corporation reported
There is no monitoring data available for this event.
Pre-market second reading after the results
There is no second reading available for this event.
How the stock reacted
- Outcome
- Accurate
- Consolidated
- +13.4%
- Max favorable move (MFE)
- 14.1%
- Max adverse move (MAE)
- 0%