Advertisement
A vs WAT
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Agilent Technologies (A) vs. Waters Corporation (WAT) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- A has delivered stronger year-to-date returns of approximately 15% compared to WAT’s roughly 10%, both modestly outperforming the S&P 500.
- WAT reported robust first-quarter 2026 results in early May, exceeding guidance and raising full-year adjusted EPS and revenue targets.
- A is scheduled to release second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on May 27, following recent product launches and a TSA contract win.
- Both companies operate in the life sciences and diagnostics instrumentation sector, with WAT benefiting from acquisition-driven revenue growth and A showing resilience amid broader market recovery.
- Analyst consensus remains constructive for both, with price targets implying upside, though relative momentum has favored WAT in the most recent reporting cycle.
- Sector exposure to healthcare capital spending and research budgets remains a shared driver, with differing impacts from acquisitions and organic growth trends.
Introduction
Agilent Technologies (A) and Waters Corporation (WAT) are leading providers of analytical instruments and solutions serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic, and industrial research markets. This comparison examines their relative performance, recent developments, and positioning within the diagnostics and research sector. Investors focused on healthcare equipment, life sciences tools, and companies sensitive to research and development spending may find the analysis useful for assessing diversification opportunities or tactical allocations between two established players with distinct growth profiles.
Agilent Technologies (A) Overview and Recent Performance
Agilent Technologies develops and commercializes instruments, software, and services for laboratory analysis, including chromatography, mass spectrometry, and diagnostics solutions. In recent market activity, the stock has traded near $115, reflecting a recovery from earlier lows in the 52-week range of approximately $107 to $160. Year-to-date returns have reached about 15%, outpacing the broader market. Recent weeks have featured product introductions, including the Agilent 9500 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS, and a Transportation Security Administration contract win that supported sentiment. The company is set to report fiscal second-quarter results after the close on May 27, with analysts maintaining a consensus buy rating and average price targets around $163.
Waters Corporation (WAT) Overview and Recent Performance
Waters Corporation provides liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis instruments primarily for pharmaceutical and life sciences applications. Shares have recently traded near $342, within a 52-week range of roughly $275 to $414. Year-to-date performance stands at approximately 10%. In early May, the company delivered first-quarter results that surpassed expectations, with 11% organic revenue growth and a 20% rise in adjusted earnings per share, prompting raised full-year guidance for both revenue and adjusted EPS in the $14.40–$14.60 range. Analyst attention has remained positive, with several firms increasing price targets following the earnings release and integration progress on recent acquisitions.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases a curated selection of AI-powered trading bots optimized for prevailing market conditions. Tickeron offers hundreds of AI trading bots that trade thousands of different tickers, yet only the strongest performers with suitable strategies for current environments appear in this section. Available bots span a wide range of trading styles, timeframes, performance metrics, and ticker sets, with historical statistics often highlighting win rates, drawdowns, and returns across varying market regimes. This resource allows users to explore automated strategies tailored to individual risk preferences and market outlooks.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Both A and WAT compete in the analytical instrumentation space, yet differ in scale and recent catalysts. A maintains a larger market capitalization and broader product portfolio, with performance supported by steady organic demand and new instrument launches. WAT has leveraged acquisitions to accelerate reported revenue growth while delivering stronger recent earnings momentum and raised guidance. Risk factors include exposure to capital spending cycles in pharmaceuticals and academia for both, though WAT carries additional integration and margin considerations from its acquired businesses. Market sentiment has been more immediately positive toward WAT following its earnings beat, while A awaits its upcoming report amid ongoing product-driven visibility.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI models may currently assign a modestly higher probability of favorable near-term positioning to WAT, reflecting its recent earnings outperformance, raised guidance, and demonstrated organic growth acceleration. A presents a balanced profile with resilient year-to-date returns and upcoming catalysts that could support trend consistency if results align with expectations. The relative verdict remains probabilistic and subject to new data, sector rotation, and broader market conditions.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is A is a StrongBuy and WAT is a Buy.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
A’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileWAT’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- A’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- WAT’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
A’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while WAT’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- A’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- WAT’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
A (@Medical Specialties) experienced а -0.07% price change this week, while WAT (@Medical Specialties) price change was -4.75% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Medical Specialties industry was -3.68%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +13.33%, and the average quarterly price growth was -7.96%.
Reported Earning Dates
A is expected to report earnings on Aug 18, 2026.
WAT is expected to report earnings on Aug 04, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Medical Specialties (-3.68% weekly)Medical specialties are companies that make equipment used by the health care industry. Equipment manufactured and distributed by these companies include dialysis machines, blood analysis equipment, surgical equipment, dental instruments, and diagnostic tools, among other items. Large companies typically aim to produce and distribute high-quality products across a broad market spectrum. Smaller firms are more likely to specialize in a particular market segment. Due to the industry’s close association with medical treatments, they typically have low sensitivity to macroeconomic fluctuations. Within this industry, Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic Plc and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. are some of the companies with multi-billion market capitalizations in the U.S. stock markets.
| A | WAT | A / WAT | |
| Capitalization | 38.3B | 35.9B | 107% |
| EBITDA | 1.96B | 991M | 198% |
| Gain YTD | -0.058 | -3.810 | 2% |
| P/E Ratio | 27.20 | 46.48 | 59% |
| Revenue | 7.23B | 3.77B | 192% |
| Total Cash | 1.81B | 462M | 391% |
| Total Debt | 3.36B | 5.57B | 60% |
A | WAT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 50 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 10 Undervalued | 72 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 91 | 82 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 44 | 85 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 43 | 47 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 55 | 20 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
A's Valuation (10) in the Biotechnology industry is somewhat better than the same rating for WAT (72) in the Medical Specialties industry. This means that A’s stock grew somewhat faster than WAT’s over the last 12 months.
WAT's Profit vs Risk Rating (82) in the Medical Specialties industry is in the same range as A (91) in the Biotechnology industry. This means that WAT’s stock grew similarly to A’s over the last 12 months.
A's SMR Rating (44) in the Biotechnology industry is somewhat better than the same rating for WAT (85) in the Medical Specialties industry. This means that A’s stock grew somewhat faster than WAT’s over the last 12 months.
A's Price Growth Rating (43) in the Biotechnology industry is in the same range as WAT (47) in the Medical Specialties industry. This means that A’s stock grew similarly to WAT’s over the last 12 months.
WAT's P/E Growth Rating (20) in the Medical Specialties industry is somewhat better than the same rating for A (55) in the Biotechnology industry. This means that WAT’s stock grew somewhat faster than A’s over the last 12 months.
| A | WAT | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 52% | 4 days ago 57% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 59% | 4 days ago 69% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 65% | 4 days ago 67% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 60% | 4 days ago 60% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 64% | 4 days ago 65% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 58% | 4 days ago 61% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 60% | 11 days ago 64% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 29 days ago 62% | 4 days ago 64% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 63% | 4 days ago 65% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 69% | 4 days ago 58% |
Advertisement