Waters slides 7.8% as investors refocus on softer near-term profit outlook and BD Life Sciences integration risk

Waters Corporation (WAT) is down 7.8% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: A single, definitive headline catalyst is not obvious from public disclosures, but the move appears consistent with renewed concern about Waters’ near-term earnings power. Recent company guidance and commentary highlighted a comparatively weak first-quarter profit outlook and ongoing integration/execution risk tied to the BD Life Sciences transaction, which can amplify volatility when sentiment turns risk-off.

Details:

Waters’ latest outlook included a first-quarter profit range that implied softer results versus typical expectations for the period, which can pressure the stock when investors revisit the setup ahead of the next earnings update.

The company’s 2026 framework emphasized combined-company growth but also acknowledged moving parts across segments, leaving room for investors to discount execution risk near term.

Following the closing and reorganization related to the BD Life Sciences acquisition, investors have been watching for margin and revenue stability as the combined operations are integrated.

Recent analyst actions have included lower price targets, which can contribute to downside momentum during broader de-risking in life-sciences tools.

Sources:

Waters Investor Relations, SEC, Investing.com

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$WAT Insider Trading Activity

$WAT insiders have traded $WAT stock on the open market 2 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 2 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $WAT stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

RICHARD H FEARON purchased 1,000 shares for an estimated $306,340
WEI JIANG purchased 500 shares for an estimated $144,730

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.

$WAT Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 494 institutional investors add shares of $WAT stock to their portfolio, and 344 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

UBS AM, A DISTINCT BUSINESS UNIT OF UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC removed 1,499,305 shares (-75.2%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $569,481,018
VERITAS ASSET MANAGEMENT LLP added 656,436 shares (+112.3%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $249,334,085
BLACKROCK, INC. removed 634,082 shares (-10.5%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $240,843,366
PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ added 561,047 shares (+509.8%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $213,102,482
MARSHALL WACE, LLP added 547,109 shares (+1611.3%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $207,808,411
MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC added 516,094 shares (+2281.7%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $196,027,984
FUNDSMITH LLP removed 397,520 shares (-10.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $150,990,021

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

$WAT Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $WAT stock 4 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 2 have been purchases and 2 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $WAT stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

REPRESENTATIVE GILBERT RAY CISNEROS, JR. purchased up to $15,000 on 03/18.
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS H. KEAN, JR. has traded it 2 times. They made 0 purchases and 2 sales worth up to $30,000 on 03/10, 02/13.
REPRESENTATIVE JULIA LETLOW purchased up to $15,000 on 12/08.

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard.

$WAT Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $WAT in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

William Blair issued a "Outperform" rating on 01/05/2026
Wolfe Research issued a "Outperform" rating on 12/10/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $WAT, check out Quiver Quantitative's $WAT forecast page.

$WAT Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $WAT recently. We have seen 11 analysts offer price targets for $WAT in the last 6 months, with a median target of $355.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Lu Li from UBS set a target price of $330.0 on 04/13/2026
Justin Bowers from Deutsche Bank set a target price of $330.0 on 03/25/2026
Kallum Titchmarsh from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $350.0 on 02/23/2026
Luke Sergott from Barclays set a target price of $400.0 on 02/11/2026
Brandon Couillard from Wells Fargo set a target price of $355.0 on 02/11/2026
Derik De Bruin from B of A Securities set a target price of $350.0 on 02/10/2026
Subbu Nambi from Guggenheim set a target price of $440.0 on 02/10/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.