Waters Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Revenue Growth View Raised

Waters Corporation WAT reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.05 per share, up 3.4% year over year and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.33%. 

Revenues of $1.645 billion surged 113.4% from the year-ago quarter and topped the consensus mark by 1.25%. Organic revenues rose 9% in constant currency, while the acquired Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses generated $817 million, exceeding guidance by $15 million.

WAT’s Organic Engine Stayed in High Gear

Organic revenues totaled $828 million, increasing 7% as reported and 9% in constant currency. The result topped the high end of management’s constant-currency guidance range by about 100 basis points, while orders again outpaced sales.

Analytical Sciences revenues rose 7% as reported and 9% in constant currency to $669 million. Instruments grew 8% in constant currency, chemistry advanced 10%, and service increased 9%. Pharma sales climbed 11%, supported by instrument replacement, GLP-1, generics and biologics demand, while non-pharma revenues rose 4%. Academic and government revenues grew 11%, supported by demand for Waters’ revitalized mass spectrometry portfolio, while industrial growth remained modest despite continued strength in PFAS applications.

Waters Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Waters Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Waters Corporation Quote

Waters Sees Execution Gains in Newly Acquired Units

In the first quarter, under Waters’ ownership, the Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses generated $817 million in revenues, exceeding guidance by $15 million and growing 4% from the prior-year comparable period. Management credited the outperformance to its 180-day growth plan, which has improved funnel conversion, increased field activity and strengthened commercial accountability.

Pricing and contract compliance remain important growth levers. Waters achieved 90 basis points of net price realization in the quarter and continues to target 150 basis points. The company is remediating roughly 700 U.S. Diagnostic Solutions reagent rental contracts identified as out of compliance and has appointed a dedicated operational leader to oversee the program.

WAT’s Divisions Showed Broad-Based Momentum

Analytical Sciences, the former Waters Division, excluding the Clinical Business Unit, generated $669 million in revenues, up from $627 million in the year-ago quarter. At constant currency, instruments grew 8%, chemistry increased 10% and service advanced 9%, supported by strength in the pharma and academic and government markets. 

The Biosciences Division, formerly BD Biosciences, posted revenues of $368 million, up from $358 million in the prior-year comparable period. Flow Clinical grew 8% on stronger execution, pricing and improving customer activity, while Flow Research declined 2% as China-related instrument pressure offset a return to growth in research-use reagents. 

Advanced Diagnostics delivered $521 million in revenues, including $449 million from Diagnostic Solutions and $72 million from the Clinical Business Unit. Diagnostic Solutions grew 5%, while the Clinical Business Unit advanced 15% as reported and 14% at constant currency. 

Within Advanced Diagnostics, microbiology revenues totaled $319 million and increased 4%, driven by improved commercial execution and pricing actions. Molecular Diagnostics and Point of Care revenues rose 9% to $129 million, aided by strong HPV testing placements on the BD COR platform. 

Materials Sciences, formerly the TA Division, generated $87 million in revenues compared with $82 million a year earlier. Sales increased 6% as reported and 8% at constant currency, supported by aerospace and defense demand and electronics testing for semiconductor and data-center applications.

Waters’ Profitability Held Firm on Cost Discipline

Adjusted gross margin was 54%, while adjusted operating margin reached 25%, in line with management’s expectations. The sequential margin moderation was due to the inclusion of a full quarter of the acquired Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses, compared with only a partial quarter in the first quarter. 

In the second quarter of 2026, selling and administrative expenses were $405 million, up 104.5% year over year. Research and development expenses totaled $122 million, increasing 149% from the prior-year quarter, reflecting the expanded cost base following the acquisition.

Waters Builds Its Product & Synergy Pipeline

The company continued to advance revenue synergies across the combined portfolio. It placed about $10 million of mass spectrometry instruments into pharma drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics settings during the quarter and remains on track to deliver $50 million of revenue synergies in 2026.

New products are expected to support second-half growth. Waters plans to launch the FACSDiscover A7 Cell Analyzer on Sept. 15, while placements of the BACTEC FXI blood culture system are beginning. Management highlighted more than 10,000 aged flow cytometry instruments and more than 12,000 aged BACTEC systems as replacement opportunities.

WAT’s Balance Sheet Details

As of July 4, 2026, cash and cash equivalents were $539 million, down from $588 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. Notes payable and debt increased to $5.09 billion from $1.41 billion at year-end, primarily reflecting financing associated with the Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions acquisition. 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $200 million, compared with $41 million a year earlier. Adjusted free cash flow totaled $202 million versus $159 million in the prior-year quarter, despite severance and integration-related payments.

WAT Raises 2026 Guidance With Synergies in View

Reflecting broad-based strength, WAT raised its 2026 organic constant-currency revenue growth guidance to 7%-9%. The company lifted adjusted earnings guidance to $14.45-$14.65 per share. The acquired businesses are expected to contribute approximately $3.045 billion in reported revenues, while total reported revenues are projected to be between $6.415 billion and $6.476 billion. 

For the third quarter of 2026, management expects total reported revenues to be in the range of $1.745-$1.762 billion and adjusted earnings of $3.95-$4.05 per share. Organic constant-currency revenue growth is projected at 8-10%, while acquired-business revenues are expected to total approximately $895 million. 

Waters expects its completed cost actions to generate $75 million in cumulative savings during 2026 and approximately $200 million on a run-rate basis. The company remains on track to deliver $50 million in revenue synergies through cross-selling, instrument replacement, service-plan attachment and e-commerce initiatives.

WAT Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Currently, Waters carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector include Kimball Electronics KE, NVIDIA NVDA and Onto Innovation ONTO. Each stock currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Shares of Kimball Electronics have declined 2.5% in the year-to-date period. KE is set to report the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 12.

Shares of NVIDIA have increased 13.7% in the year-to-date period. NVDA is slated to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 26.

Onto Innovation shares have gained 82.2% in the year-to-date period. ONTO is set to report first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Aug. 6.

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