Zacks Investment Research·Oct 28, 2026
Waters Gears Up to Report Q3 Results: How to Play the Stock?WAT's Q3 results are likely to benefit from strong revenue growth prospects, rising demand and acquisition gains.
Waters' reported revenue surge to $1.8B in 2026Q3, up 120.9% year-over-year, appears to reflect a structural change in the reporting perimeter driven by acquisitions, with total assets expanding from roughly $4.6B in 2025Q1 to $24.5B in 2026Q1, rather than purely organic momentum.
Price trend, volume and key moving averages
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Revenue reached $1.8B in 2026Q3 with gross margin recovering to 50.3% from 44.6% in 2026Q2, yet still trailing the roughly 59-60% margins reported across 2024 and 2025, suggesting the top-line step-up has not yet translated into restored profitability structure.
Waters Corporation expanded its analytical portfolio with high-performance launches, including new BioResolve and GTxResolve columns and next-generation mass spectrometers, strengthening its position in biologics and structural omics.
Waters Corporation's trailing and forward P/E ratios of 34.48 and 26.39 respectively indicate strong earnings potential and investor confidence in future growth.
A bullish thesis on Waters Corporation was highlighted by The Wealth Dynasty Report, suggesting positive sentiment and potential upside from analyst perspectives.
Trailing total returns as of 11/8/2026, which may include dividends or other distributions. Benchmark is S&P 500 (^GSPC).
Check whether operating performance supports the current valuation.
Recent results and news deserve attention only when they alter the forward view.
| Quarter | EPS (Act vs Est) | Revenue (Act vs Est) |
|---|---|---|
Q4 2026Latest Nov 3, 2026 | $4.10+2.5% vs $4.00 | $1.8B+0.8% vs $1.8B |
Q3 2026 Aug 4, 2026 | $3.05+1.3% vs $3.01 | $1.6B+1.4% vs $1.6B |
Q2 2026 May 5, 2026 | $2.70+16.9% vs $2.31 | $1.3B+5.3% vs $1.2B |
Q1 2026 Feb 9, 2026 | $4.53+0.4% vs $4.51 | $932M+0.4% vs $928M |
WAT's Q3 results are likely to benefit from strong revenue growth prospects, rising demand and acquisition gains.
Advances Waters' strategy to bring trusted AI, ML, and automation capabilities to the 500,000 Empower™ Software users who run the world's regulated chromatography labs and support the release of over 80% of medicines globally AI-Powered Peak Integration transforms chromatography data processing in regulated environments, using AI to reduce manual interventions by up to 95% while delivering 76% greater accuracy and a 72% reduction in user-to-user variability Joins a growing portfolio of premium AI capabilities Waters is building directly into Empower Software, uniquely enabling AI, ML, and automation inside the validated environment where highly protected customer data resides, with no compromise to integrity, traceability, or compliance MILFORD, Mass., Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) today announced AI-Powered Peak Integration, the next step in its strategy to build intelligent AI, machine learning, and automation cloud-based capabilities directly into Empower Software, the chromatography data system of record for regulated laboratories worldwide.
WAT partners with Labcorp to expand access to FDA-approved HPV testing by late 2026, potentially boosting diagnostics adoption and cervical cancer screening.
U.S. Fund A Shares (without sales charge) posted a return of 4.36% in third-quarter 2026. The US Fund outperformed the S&P 500 Index in the period. Shares of Meta performed well following the strong reception of Muse, its personalized AI assistance app.
Benchmark WAT against direct peers instead of judging its metrics in isolation.
Key metrics vs top competitors for Waters Corporation (WAT)
| Company | Price | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | Rev Growth (1Y) | Net Margin | ROE | Div Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $457.60 | $34.22B | 459.62 | 6.99% | 1.75% | 0.81% | — | |
| $174.76 | $49.36B | 34.35 | 6.73% | 19.53% | 20.47% | 0.57% | |
| $61.31 | $9.33B | -75.77 | 2.08% | -3.51% | -5.05% | 0.24% | |
| $210.98 | $16.1B | 49.25 | 37.26% | 25.25% | 22.32% | — | |
| $2.32 | $95.09M | -5.37 | 2.63% | -3.81% | — | — | |
| $694.76 | $258.19B | 36.39 | 3.91% | 14.96% | 13.3% | 0.24% |
Waters Corporation (WAT) vs competitors — business, growth, and fundamentals comparison against the closest industry rivals.
Verify the primary filings, follow material updates, and answer the remaining questions.
Waters Corporation (WAT) SEC filings — annual & quarterly reports (10-K, 10-Q)
Nov 3, 2026·SEC
Aug 4, 2026·SEC
May 22, 2026·SEC
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Waters Corporation (WAT) stock FAQ — growth, dividends, profitability & financials explained
Waters Corporation (WAT) reported $5.61B in revenue over the trailing twelve months. Revenue was $3.17B in fiscal year 2025. That is 709% more than the $391.1M of fiscal year 1996.
Waters Corporation (WAT) grew revenue by 80.7% over the trailing twelve months, compared with the twelve months before.
Yes. Waters Corporation (WAT) earned $98.2M in net income over the trailing twelve months (a 1.8% net margin).
Waters Corporation (WAT) had a return on equity (ROE) of 0.8% over the trailing twelve months. That is below the market's typical 10-15%.
Waters Corporation (WAT) generated $291.6M in free cash flow over the trailing twelve months.
