Is HOLX or WAT cheaper?

On trailing earnings, HOLX is cheaper: HOLX trades at a 31.67 P/E and WAT at 45.18.

Which has grown faster, HOLX or WAT?

Over the past five years, WAT grew revenue faster — HOLX at a -1.87% CAGR versus WAT at 8.48%.

Is HOLX or WAT more profitable?

HOLX runs the higher net margin — HOLX at 13.18% versus WAT at 11.91%.

Which has been the better investment, HOLX or WAT?

Over the past 10-year, WAT delivered the higher annualized total return — HOLX at 7.99% versus WAT at 9.92%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Hologic, Inc. (HOLX) vs Waters Corporation (WAT)

HOLX leads on 9 of 15 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Hologic, Inc. and Waters Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 14, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Total return — HOLX vs WAT

growth of $100 · last 30y

HOLX +564.6%WAT +4271.6%WAT compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

HOLX WAT

HOLX vs WAT: by the numbers

•WAT is the larger company ($23.17B vs $16.97B market cap).
•HOLX trades at the lower earnings multiple (31.67 vs 45.18 P/E).
•HOLX converts more revenue to profit (13.18% vs 11.91% net margin).
•WAT grew revenue faster over the past five years (8.48% vs -1.87% CAGR).

Which is better, HOLX or WAT?

Metric tally: HOLX 9 · WAT 6

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueHOLX(lower P/E)

GrowthWAT(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

QualityWAT(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	HOLX	WAT
P/E ratio	31.67●	45.18
Forward P/E	17.21●	21.65
P/S ratio	4.16●	7.74
P/B ratio	3.27	1.91●
PEG ratio	—	75.62
EV / EBITDA	17.28●	37.11
FCF yield	5.82%●	0.90%

Profitability

Metric	HOLX	WAT
Gross margin	52.82%	55.02%●
Operating margin	17.49%●	17.08%
Net margin	13.18%●	11.91%
ROE	10.37%●	2.94%
ROIC	7.35%	17.57%●

Growth (annualized)

Metric	HOLX	WAT
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	-1.87%	8.48%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	-0.96%	5.16%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-4.57%●	-17.63%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	0.84%	1.10%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, HOLX or WAT?: It depends on your goal. value: HOLX (lower P/E); growth: WAT (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: WAT (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, HOLX leads 9 to 6.
Is HOLX or WAT cheaper?: On trailing earnings, HOLX is cheaper: HOLX trades at a 31.67 P/E and WAT at 45.18.
Which has grown faster, HOLX or WAT?: Over the past five years, WAT grew revenue faster — HOLX at a -1.87% CAGR versus WAT at 8.48%.
Is HOLX or WAT more profitable?: HOLX runs the higher net margin — HOLX at 13.18% versus WAT at 11.91%.
Which has been the better investment, HOLX or WAT?: Over the past 10-year, WAT delivered the higher annualized total return — HOLX at 7.99% versus WAT at 9.92%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full HOLX analysis Full WAT analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Hologic P/E ratio Waters P/E ratio Hologic dividend yield Waters dividend yield Hologic ROE Waters ROE Hologic operating margin Waters operating margin Hologic revenue growth Waters revenue growth Hologic free cash flow Waters free cash flow

Hologic & Waters appear in these rankings

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Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 14, 2026.