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DHR vs. WAT: Danaher vs. Waters Stock Comparison

How do Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT) are both classified in the Life Sciences Tools & Services sub-industry within the broader Life Sciences Tools & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
Profile ItemDHRWAT
NameDanaher Corp.Waters Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life SciencesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryLife Sciences Tools & ServicesLife Sciences Tools & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryLife Sciences Tools & ServicesLife Sciences Tools & Services
Market Capitalization161.86 billion USD44.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 29, 1978November 17, 1995
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DHR
WAT
GSPC
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
Total Return (1Y)11.88%27.70%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)6.67%23.32%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-2.05%6.27%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DHR
WAT
GSPC
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)30.61%35.45%
Beta (5Y)0.761.13
Max Drawdown (5Y)-43.31%-36.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.94M816.72K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DHR and WAT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.250.66
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.350.98

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Danaher (DHR) at 8.19% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Waters (WAT) at 1.12% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for DHR.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.19%

Max
109.18%
DHR
8.19%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.12%

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
WAT
1.12%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Danaher (DHR) at 16.91% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Waters (WAT) at 1.76%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

16.91%

Max
18.05%
DHR
16.91%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.76%

Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
WAT
1.76%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Danaher (DHR) at 21.13% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Waters (WAT) at 11.38%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

21.13%

Max
83.12%
DHR
21.13%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

11.38%

Max
83.12%
Q3
14.77%
WAT
11.38%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
ROE (TTM)8.19%1.12%
ROA (TTM)4.06%2.36%
Net Margin (TTM)16.91%1.76%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.13%11.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)59.36%49.83%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Danaher (DHR) at 2.90% and Waters (WAT) at 6.99% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Danaher (DHR) at -4.54% and Waters (WAT) at 0.47% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.90%6.99%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.67%2.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)-4.54%0.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-19.44%-2.84%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Danaher (DHR) shows current ratio of 1.63 against its industry benchmark, while Waters (WAT) has no reading this period.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.63

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
DHR
1.63
Min
0.10

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

--

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
Min
0.10
WAT
--
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): WAT does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; DHR is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Danaher (DHR) at 0.52 and Waters (WAT) at 0.34 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.52

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
DHR
0.52
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.34

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
WAT
0.34
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.63--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.520.34
Net Debt / EBITDA2.683.23

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Waters (WAT) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Danaher (DHR) reports a yield of 0.67%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.67%

DHR
0.67%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

WAT
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Waters (WAT) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Danaher (DHR) reports a payout of 25.17%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

25.17%

DHR
25.17%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

WAT
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.67%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.17%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Danaher (DHR) at 38.12 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Waters (WAT) at 191.46 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for WAT’s trailing earnings.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

38.12

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
DHR
38.12
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

191.46

WAT
191.46
Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Danaher (DHR) at 6.32 and Waters (WAT) at 8.01 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.32

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
DHR
6.32
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.01

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
WAT
8.01
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Danaher (DHR) at 3.02 and Waters (WAT) at 2.94 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.02

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
DHR
3.02
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.94

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
WAT
2.94
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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Danaher (DHR) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Waters (WAT)
MetricDHRWAT
P/E Ratio (TTM)38.12191.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.328.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.022.94
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.93%--