WAT 10-K Fiscal year
ended Dec. 31, 2024

WATERS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

INDEX

PART I

Item 1: Business

General

Waters Corporation (the “Company,” “Waters,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), a global leader in analytical instruments and software, has pioneered innovations in chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis serving life, materials and food sciences for more than 65 years. With approximately 7,600 employees worldwide, Waters operates directly in over 35 countries and has products available in more than 100 countries. The Company primarily designs, manufactures, sells and services high-performance liquid chromatography (“HPLC”), ultra-performance liquid chromatography (“UPLC” and together with HPLC, referred to as “LC”) and mass spectrometry (“MS”) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products and comprehensive post-warranty service plans. These systems are complementary products that are frequently employed together (“LC-MS”) and sold as integrated instrument systems using common software platforms. In addition, the Company designs, manufactures, sells and services thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments through its TA Instruments ^TM (“TA”) product line. The Company is also a developer and supplier of advanced software-based products that interface with the Company’s instruments, as well as other manufacturers’ instruments.

The Company’s products are used by pharmaceutical, clinical, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety, environmental, academic and governmental customers working in research and development, quality assurance and other laboratory applications. LC is a standard technique and is utilized in a broad range of industries to detect, identify, monitor and measure the chemical, physical and biological composition of materials, and to purify a full range of compounds. MS technology, principally in conjunction with chromatography, is employed in drug discovery and development, including clinical trial testing, the analysis of proteins in disease processes (known as “proteomics”), nutritional safety analysis and environmental testing. LC-MS instruments combine a liquid phase sample introduction and separation system with mass spectrometric compound identification and quantification. The Company’s thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments are used in predicting the suitability and stability of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water, polymers, metals and viscous liquids for various industrial, consumer goods and healthcare products, as well as for life science research.

Waters Corporation, organized as a Delaware corporation in 1991, is a holding company that owns all of the outstanding common stock of Waters Technologies Corporation, its operating subsidiary. Waters Corporation became a publicly traded company with its initial public offering (“IPO”) in November 1995. Since the IPO, the Company has added three significant and complementary technologies to its range of products with the acquisitions of TA Instruments in May 1996, Micromass Limited in September 1997 and Wyatt Technology in May 2023.

Business Segments

The Company’s business activities, for which discrete financial information is available, are regularly reviewed and evaluated by the chief operating decision maker. As a result of this evaluation, the Company determined that it has two operating segments: Waters and TA. The Waters operating segment is primarily in the business of designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing LC and MS instrument systems, columns and other precision chemistry consumables that can be integrated and used along with other analytical instruments. The TA operating segment is primarily in the business of designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments. The Company’s two operating segments have similar economic characteristics; product processes; products and services; types and classes of customers; methods of distribution; and regulatory environments. Because of these similarities, the two segments have been aggregated into one reporting segment for financial statement purposes. Operations of the Wyatt business are part of the Waters operating segment.

Information concerning revenues and long-lived assets attributable to each of the Company’s products, services and geographic areas is set forth in Note 17 in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, which is incorporated herein by reference.

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Waters Products and Markets

High-Performance and Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography

HPLC is a standard technique used to identify and analyze the constituent components of a variety of chemicals and other materials. The Company believes that HPLC’s performance capabilities enable it to separate, identify and quantify a high proportion of all known chemicals. As a result, HPLC is used to analyze substances in a wide variety of industries for research and development purposes, quality control and process engineering applications.

The most significant end-use markets for HPLC are those served by the pharmaceutical and life science industries. In these markets, HPLC is used extensively to understand diseases, identify new drugs, develop manufacturing methods and assure the potency and purity of new pharmaceuticals. HPLC is also used in a variety of other applications, such as analyses of foods and beverages for nutritional labeling and compliance with safety regulations and the testing of water and air purity within the environmental testing industry, as well as applications in other industries, such as chemical and consumer products. Waters also has in-vitro diagnostic labelled products that are used as general-purpose instruments for clinical diagnostic applications, such as newborn screening and therapeutic drug management, in countries where these products are registered. HPLC is also used by universities, research institutions and governmental agencies, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and their foreign counterparts that mandate safety and efficacy testing.

In 2004, Waters introduced a novel technology that the Company describes as ultra-performance liquid chromatography that utilizes a packing material with small, uniform diameter particles and a specialized instrument, the ACQUITY ^TM UPLC ^TM System, to accommodate the increased pressure and narrower chromatographic bands that are generated by these small and tightly packed particles. By using the ACQUITY UPLC System, researchers and analysts are able to achieve more comprehensive chemical separations and faster analysis times in comparison with many analyses previously performed by HPLC. In addition, in using the ACQUITY UPLC System, researchers have the potential to extend the range of applications beyond that of HPLC, enabling them to uncover more levels of scientific information. While offering significant performance advantages, the ACQUITY UPLC System is also compatible with the Company’s software products and the general operating protocols of HPLC. For these reasons, the Company’s customers and field sales and support organizations are well positioned to utilize this innovative technology and instrument.

Waters manufactures LC instruments that are offered in configurations that allow for varying degrees of automation, from component configured systems for academic teaching and research applications to fully automated systems for regulated and high sample throughput testing, and that have a variety of detection technologies, from optical-based ultra-violet absorbance, refractive index and fluorescence detectors to a suite of MS-based detectors, optimized for certain analyses.

During the second half of 2023, Waters introduced the DynaPro ^TM ZetaStar ^TM instrument through its Wyatt Technology ^TM portfolio for nanoparticle analysis. The new instrument simultaneously enables dynamic and static light scattering and dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering measurements, all in one device. By combining multiple light scattering techniques and automatically assessing data quality and performing adaptive data capture, the ZetaStar instrument delivers both increased sensitivity and faster measurements to aid the precise development of complex biologics, using extremely low sample volumes.

In 2024, the Company introduced HPLC CONNECT software, an all-in-one software platform that enables full digital synchronization between Waters high- and ultra-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/UPLC) systems and multi-angle light-scattering instruments (MALS) from its Wyatt Technology ^™ portfolio. The software delivers ease-of-use, greater efficiency, and higher confidence for scientists performing size exclusion chromatography and MALS (SEC-MALS) analyses for complex and critical biopharmaceutical innovations, including antibody drug conjugates, other complex protein conjugates, and gene therapies.

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The primary consumable products for LC instruments are chromatography columns. These columns are packed with separation media used in the LC testing process and are typically replaced at regular intervals. The chromatography column contains one of several types of packing material, typically stationary phase particles made from silica or polymeric resins. As a pressurized sample is introduced to the column inlet and permeates through the packed column, it is separated into its constituent components.

The Company’s precision chemistry consumable products also include environmental and nutritional safety testing products, including Certified Reference Materials and Proficiency Testing products. Laboratories around the world and across multiple industries use these products for quality control and proficiency testing and purchase product support services required to help with their federal and state mandated accreditation requirements or with quality control over critical pharmaceutical analysis.

Waters HPLC columns can be used on Waters-branded and competitors’ LC systems. The Company believes that it is one of a few suppliers in the world that manufactures silica and polymeric resins, packs columns and distributes its own products. In doing so, the Company believes it can better ensure product consistency, a key attribute for its customers in quality control laboratories and can react quickly to new customer requirements. The Company believes that its ACQUITY UPLC Columns are used primarily on its ACQUITY UPLC Systems and, furthermore, that its ACQUITY UPLC Systems primarily use ACQUITY UPLC Columns.

In 2023, the Company introduced the first in a new line of size exclusion chromatography columns aimed at improving analysis while lowering the cost of gene therapies, specifically adeno-associated viral (“AAV”) vectors. The new Waters XBridge ^TM Premier GTx BEH ^TM size exclusion chromatography columns double the speed of measuring the potency and safety of AAVs. Combining the columns with light scattering technologies from its Wyatt Technology portfolio deepens the level of information acquired from a single experiment and optimizes the manufacturing of these novel gene delivery vehicles.

The Company also introduced the Alliance ^TM iS HPLC System, the next-generation intelligent HPLC System, designed to reduce compliance risk by adding new levels of proactive error detection, troubleshooting and ease-of-use. When combined with Waters compliance-ready Empower ^TM Chromatography Software and eConnect ^TM HPLC Columns, the Alliance iS HPLC System streamlines the task of making accurate and precise measurements by detecting and eliminating common errors. In doing so, the Alliance iS HPLC System helps quality control laboratories to consistently meet quality, safety, compliance and on-time product delivery goals. This system also integrates with the cloud-native waters_connect ^TM System Monitoring Software enabling real-time monitoring of the Alliance iS HPLC System and any other chromatography instruments controlled by Empower Software. Laboratory managers can view the live status of their HPLC instrument fleet from anywhere and at any time to further improve equipment utilization and overall productivity. In addition, Waters introduced the new bioprocess walk-up solutions designed to further simplify biologic sample preparation and analysis. This solution eliminated the need to send bioreactor samples to a central laboratory for analysis making it even easier to accelerate upstream bioprocess development by up to six weeks over traditional methods.

In 2024, Waters introduced the new Oasis WAX/GCB and GCB/WAX for PFAS Analysis Cartridges with new design features that significantly streamline and expedite sample preparation and analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). To help ensure accuracy and further confidence in test results, Oasis WAX/GCB and GCB/WAX Cartridges are QC-tested by an accredited laboratory for low residual PFAS, to reduce or eliminate any time spent troubleshooting potential assay contamination. The Company also introduced the Alliance iS Bio HPLC System with new capabilities that address the operational and analytical challenges of biopharma quality control laboratories. The new HPLC system combines advanced bio-separation technology and built-in instrument intelligence features and is designed to help biopharma QC analysts boost efficiency and eliminate up to 40% of common errors, saving time lost by investigating the source of failed runs and out-of-specification results. In addition, Waters introduced the new GTxResolve Premier Size Exclusion Chromatography 1000Å 3-micron (3 µm) Columns. Waters has implemented a unique combination of novel packing materials and MaxPeakPremier High-Performance Surface technology into the columns to help scientists accelerate the development of gene-based therapeutics, including cell & gene, mRNA and lipid nanoparticles.

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Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

MS is a powerful analytical technology that is used to identify unknown compounds, to quantify known materials and to elucidate the structural and chemical properties of molecules by measuring the masses of molecules that have been converted into ions.

The Company is a technology and market leader in the development, manufacture, sale and service of MS instruments and components. These instruments are typically integrated and used along with other complementary analytical instruments and systems, such as LC, chemical electrophoresis and gas chromatography. A wide variety of instrumental designs fall within the overall category of MS instrumentation, including devices that incorporate quadrupole, ion trap, time-of-flight (“Tof”), magnetic sector and ion mobility technologies. Furthermore, these technologies are often used in tandem to maximize the speed and/or efficacy of certain experiments.

Currently, the Company offers a wide range of MS instrument systems utilizing various combinations of quadrupole, Tof and ion mobility designs. These instrument systems are used in drug discovery and development, as well as for environmental, clinical and nutritional safety testing. The overwhelming majority of mass spectrometers sold by the Company are designed to utilize an LC system and a liquid compatible interface (such as an electrospray ionization source) as the sample introduction device. These products supply a diverse market with a strong emphasis on the pharmaceutical, biomedical, clinical, food and beverage and environmental market segments worldwide.

MS is an increasingly important detection technology for LC. The Company’s smaller-sized mass spectrometers, such as the single quadrupole detector and the tandem quadrupole detector (“TQD”), are often referred to as LC “detectors” and are typically sold as part of an LC system or as an LC system upgrade. Larger quadrupole systems, such as the Xevo ^TM TQ MS System and Xevo TQ-S MS System, are used primarily for experiments performed for late-stage drug development, including clinical trial testing. Quadrupole time-of-flight (“Q-Tof”) instruments, such as the Company’s SYNAPT ^TM G2-S HDMS System, are often used to analyze the role of proteins in disease processes, an application sometimes referred to as “proteomics.”

LC and MS are typically embodied within an analytical system tailored for either a dedicated class of analyses or as a general-purpose analytical device. An increasing percentage of the Company’s customers are purchasing LC and MS components simultaneously and it has become common for LC and MS instrumentation to be used within the same laboratory and operated by the same user. The descriptions of LC and MS above reflect the historical segmentation of these analytical technologies and the historical categorization of their respective practitioners. Increasingly in today’s instrument market, this segmentation and categorization is becoming obsolete as a high percentage of instruments used in the laboratory embody both LC and MS technologies as part of a single device. In response to this development and to further promote the high utilization of these hybrid instruments, the Company has organized its Waters operating segment to develop, manufacture, sell and service integrated LC-MS systems.

In 2022, the Company introduced the Xevo TQ Absolute System, the most sensitive and compact benchtop tandem mass spec in its class. The Company introduced the new Xevo G3 Q-Tof Mass Spectrometer with CONFIRM Sequence, a new oligonucleotide sequencing confirmation app for the waters_connect Software platform and an electrospray ionization source for the high-resolution SELECT SERIES MRT Mass Spectrometer.

Based upon 2024, reports from independent marketing research firms and publicly disclosed sales figures from competitors, the Company believes that it is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of LC and LC-MS instrument systems, chromatography columns and other consumables and related services.

The Company has been a developer and supplier of software-based products that interface with both the Company’s and other suppliers’ instruments. The Company’s newest software technology for mass spectrometry is the waters_connect Software platform.

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In 2022, the Company introduced a new PFAS quantitation workflow enabled by enhancements to its waters_connect Software for quantitation software and the Company introduced Extraction+ ^TM Connected Device, a new software-controlled product for the Waters Andrew+ ^TM Pipetting Robot that automates the preparation of biological, food, forensics and environmental samples by solid phase extraction.

In 2023, the Company introduced the next generation Xevo TQ Absolute IVD Mass Spectrometer, expanding its family of MassTrak ^TM IVD LC-MS/MS Systems for clinical diagnostic applications. The powerful analytical performance of the Xevo TQ Absolute IVD Mass Spectrometer is up to five times more sensitive for quantifying clinical analytes. This sensitivity enables clinical laboratories to detect and measure trace level analytes within a sample at lower detection levels than previously possible. It can also extend the testing capabilities of the clinical laboratory to include lower volume samples obtained in less-invasive assays such as saliva, breath, dried blood spots and multiplex panels and large molecules. The new MassTrak LC-MS/MS IVD System includes the ACQUITY UPLC I-Class PLUS System with the Xevo TQ Absolute IVD Mass Spectrometer. The ACQUITY UPLC I-Class PLUS System is designed to deliver rapid and accurate sample analysis to enhance the sensitivity of any mass spectrometer and simplify the characterization of the most complex sample. The Xevo TQ Absolute IVD System provides more consistent instrument-to-instrument performance, with a user-friendly design that maximizes service uptime. Its innovative design is also 45% smaller and uses 50% less nitrogen gas and electricity than comparable tandem quadrupole-mass spectrometry systems, making it ideal for hospital labs and independent commercial labs with both sustainability and business growth goals to meet.

In addition, in 2023, the Company introduced the industry’s first targeted imaging mass spectrometer based on its Xevo TQ Absolute Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer which is the most sensitive and compact mass spectrometer in its class. The new instrument combines the Waters DESI XS source with the Xevo TQ Absolute System and is five times more sensitive and five times faster than discovery-based imaging systems at precisely determining whether a particular small molecule drug product, and how much of it, reaches its intended target, such as a brain, liver or lung, in a test subject. Further, the Company announced new updates to its SELECT SERIES MRT System that increases its specificity and utility for UPLC-MS/MS metabolomics and drug discovery applications and for mass spectrometry imaging experiments. The MRT System now offers 50% higher resolution, making it capable of 300,000 FWHM resolution, a 3X faster scan rate and parts-per-billion mass accuracy. These MRT System enhancements are designed to help research scientists unambiguously identify analytes of interest in samples of blood, urine and tissue, contributing to a greater understanding of molecules and their mechanisms of action in numerous scientific fields. It is compatible with numerous MS imaging sources including DESI and MALDI, and generates crystal-clear, high-resolution images without compromising mass spectral resolution or accuracy. Lastly, in 2023, the Company combined its BioAccord LC-MS System and the Waters Andrew+ Pipetting Robot, connecting via new protocols in OneLab ^TM Software to create fully integrated and easy-to-use bioprocess walk-up solutions. It is designed to enable less experienced LC-MS users to acquire critical quality attribute data for analysis of drug product and cell culture media. Capturing data directly at the bioproduction laboratory can help bioprocess engineers improve process understanding, leading to more robust manufacturing processes and accelerated development timelines.

Waters Service

Services provided by Waters enable customers to maximize technology productivity, support customer compliance activities and provide transparency into enterprise resource management efficiencies. The customer benefits from improved budget control, data-driven technology adoption and accelerated workflow at a site or on a global perspective. The Company considers its service offerings to be highly differentiated from its competition, as evidenced by a consistent increase in annual service revenues. The Company’s principal competitors in the service market include Revvity, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. These competitors can provide certain services on Waters instruments to varying degrees and always present competitive risk.

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The servicing and support of instruments, software and accessories is an important source of revenue and represented over 35% of sales for Waters in 2024. These revenues are derived primarily through the sale of support plans, demand services, spare parts, customer performance validation services and customer training. Support plans typically involve scheduled instrument maintenance and an agreement to promptly repair a non-functioning instrument in return for a fee described in a contract that is priced according to the configuration of the instrument.

The waters_connect System Monitoring is a new Software-as-a-Service application that enables laboratory managers and analysts to monitor the real-time status of any chromatography instruments, regardless of the manufacturer, running on Waters Empower Software. The waters_connect System Monitoring application was developed especially for high-volume quality assurance/quality control laboratories. It can reduce the turnaround time of product release samples and facilitate the planning and progress of critical analyses via live, at-a-glance dashboard views of the operational status of chromatography instruments. The cloud-native application also helps lab managers utilize capital resources better by providing an understanding of instrument history and usage levels and improve the productivity of their teams.

TA Products and Markets

Thermal Analysis, Rheometry and Calorimetry

Thermal analysis measures the physical or thermodynamic characteristics of materials as a function of temperature. Changes in temperature affect several characteristics of materials, such as their heat flow characteristics, physical state, weight, dimension and mechanical and electrical properties, which may be measured by one or more thermal analysis techniques, including calorimetry. Consequently, thermal analysis techniques are widely used in the development, production and characterization of materials in various industries, such as plastics, chemicals, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and electronics.

Rheometry instruments often complement thermal analyzers in characterizing materials. Rheometry characterizes the flow properties of materials and measures their viscosity, elasticity and deformation under different types of “loading” or other conditions. The information obtained under such conditions provides insight into a material’s behavior during processing, packaging, transport, usage and storage.

Thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments are heavily used in material testing laboratories and, in many cases, provide information useful in predicting the suitability and stability of industrial polymers, fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water, metals and viscous liquids in various industrial, consumer goods and healthcare products, as well as for life science research. As with systems offered by Waters, a range of instrument configurations is available with increasing levels of sample handling and information processing automation. In addition, systems and accompanying software packages can be tailored for specific applications.

In 2022, TA introduced the Powder Rheology Accessory, which enables our Discovery Hybrid Rheometers to characterize the behavior of powders during storage, dispensing, processing and end-use. The Powder Rheology Accessory provides relevant property and processing measurements for battery electrode coatings to prevent defects that cause cell failure and pharmaceutical tablets to prevent instabilities of API blends.

Also in 2022, TA introduced Polymer Workflow Guided Methods, which provides walk up and use functionality by codifying polymer workflows. Guided Methods leverages the power of TRIOS AutoPilot Software and enables novice users to quickly learn and use the instrument to set up test methods, run tests, and execute analyses across our Thermal Analysis and Rheology product lines.

In 2023, TA introduced a new Battery Cycler Microcalorimeter Solution for high-resolution characterization of battery cells. The instrument and software combination enables non-destructive testing under real-world operating conditions and significantly reduces experiment time from months to weeks, while providing decisive insights for greater battery efficiency, safety and stability.

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In 2024, TA introduced the following new instrument systems:

TA Service

Similar to Waters, the servicing and support of TA’s instruments is an important source of revenue and represented more than 25% of sales for TA in 2024. TA operates independently from the Waters operating segment, though many of its overseas offices are jointly occupied with Waters to achieve operational efficiencies. TA has dedicated field sales and service operations. Service sales are primarily derived from the sale of support plans, replacement parts and billed labor fees associated with the repair, maintenance and upgrade of installed systems.

Global Customers

The Company typically has a broad and diversified customer base that includes pharmaceutical accounts, other industrial accounts, universities and governmental agencies. Purchase of the Company’s instrument systems is often dependent on its customers’ capital spending, or funding as in the cases of academic, governmental and research institutions, which often fluctuate from year to year. The pharmaceutical segment represents the Company’s largest sector and includes multinational pharmaceutical companies, generic drug manufacturers, contract research organizations (“CROs”) and biotechnology companies. The Company’s other industrial customers include chemical manufacturers, polymer manufacturers, food and beverage companies and environmental testing laboratories. The Company also sells to universities and governmental agencies worldwide. The Company’s technical sales and support staff members work closely with its customers in developing and implementing applications that meet their full range of analytical requirements. During 2024, 58% of the Company’s net sales were to pharmaceutical accounts, 31% to other industrial accounts and 11% to academic institutions and governmental agencies. Although the Company transacts business with various government agencies, no government contract is of such magnitude that a renegotiation of profits or termination of the contract at the election of the government agency would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial results.

The Company typically experiences seasonality in its orders that is reflected as an increase in sales in the fourth quarter, as a result of purchasing habits for capital goods of many customers who tend to exhaust their spending budgets by calendar year-end. The Company does not rely on any single customer for a material portion of its sales. During fiscal years 2024, 2023 and 2022, no single customer accounted for more than 2% of the Company’s net sales.

Sales and Service

The Company has one of the largest direct sales and service organizations focused exclusively on the analytical workflows offered by the Company. Across these product technologies, using respective specialized sales and service workforces, the Company serves its customer base with 79 sales offices throughout the world as of

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December 31, 2024 and approximately 4,200, 4,300 and 4,500 field representatives in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. This investment in sales and service personnel serves to maintain and expand the Company’s installed base of instruments. The Company’s sales representatives have direct responsibility for account relationships, while service representatives work in the field to install instruments, train customers and minimize instrument downtime. In-house and field-based technical support representatives work directly with customers, providing them assistance with applications and procedures on Company products. The Company provides customers with comprehensive information through various corporate and geographic-specific internet websites and product literature and also makes consumable products available through electronic ordering facilities and a dedicated catalog.

Manufacturing and Distribution

The Company provides high product quality by overseeing each stage of the production of its instruments, columns and chemical reagents.

The Company currently assembles a portion of its LC instruments at its facility in Milford, Massachusetts, where it performs machining, assembly and testing. The Milford facility maintains quality management and environmental management systems in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 14001:2015, and adheres to applicable regulatory requirements (including the FDA Quality System Regulation and the European In-Vitro Diagnostic Directive). The Company outsources manufacturing of certain electronic components, such as computers, monitors and circuit boards, to outside vendors that meet the Company’s quality requirements. In addition, the Company outsources the manufacturing of certain LC instrument systems and components to well-established contract manufacturing firms in Singapore. The Company’s Singapore entity is ISO 9001:2015 certified and manages all Asian outsourced manufacturing as well as the distribution of all products from Asia. The Company may pursue outsourcing opportunities as they arise but believes it maintains adequate supply chain and manufacturing capabilities in the event of disruption or natural disasters.

The Company primarily manufactures and distributes its LC columns at its facilities in Taunton, Massachusetts and Wexford, Ireland. In February 2024, the Company completed an expansion of its Taunton manufacturing facility, incurring costs of approximately $251 million in connection with the expansion between 2018 and 2024. The Taunton facility processes, sizes and treats silica and polymeric media that are packed into columns, solid phase extraction cartridges and bulk shipping containers in both Taunton and Wexford. The Wexford facility also manufactures and distributes certain data, instruments and software components for the Company’s LC, MS and TA product lines. The Company’s Taunton facility is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015. The Wexford facility is certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016/EN ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 14001:2015. VICAM manufactures antibody-linked resins and magnetic beads that are packed into columns and kits in Milford, Massachusetts. The Company manufactures and distributes its Analytical Standards and Reagents and Environmental Resource Associates (“ERA”) product lines at its facility in Golden, Colorado, which is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, ISO/IEC 17034:16, ISO/IEC 17043:2010 and TNI Standard Vol. 3:2016. Some ERA products are also manufactured in the Wexford, Ireland facility, which is also accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO/IEC 17034:2016.

The Company manufactures and distributes its MS products at its facilities in Wilmslow, England and Wexford, Ireland. In 2024, Waters opened a new facility in Birmingham, England which will increase the Company’s capacity to manufacture certain components used in the Company’s MS instruments. Each stage of this supply chain is closely monitored by the Company to maintain high quality and performance standards. The instruments, components or modules are then returned to the Company’s facilities, where its engineers perform final assembly, calibrations to customer specifications and quality control procedures. The Company’s MS facilities are certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016/EN ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 14001:2015 (Wexford only) and adhere to applicable regulatory requirements (including the FDA Quality System Regulation and the European In-Vitro Diagnostic Directive).

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TA’s thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry products are manufactured and distributed at the Company’s New Castle, Delaware, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Lindon, Utah and Hüllhorst, Germany facilities. Similar to MS, elements of TA’s products are manufactured by outside contractors and are then returned to the Company’s facilities for final assembly, calibration and quality control. The Company’s New Castle facility is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 standard and the Eden Prairie facility is certified to both ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards, and the Lindon facility is certified to ISO 9001:2015.

All instrument manufacturing for Wyatt products takes place at its facilities in Santa Barbara, California. The Company’s Wyatt facility in Santa Barbara, California is certified to ISO 9001:2015.

Raw Materials

The Company purchases a variety of raw materials, primarily consisting of high temperature alloy sheet metal and castings, forgings, pre-plated metals and electrical components from various vendors. The materials used by the Company’s operations are generally available from a number of sources and in sufficient quantities to meet current requirements subject to normal lead times.

The Company is subject to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which require disclosure as to whether certain materials (tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten), known as conflict minerals, which may be contained in the Company’s products, are mined from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries. In 2024, the Company was not able to determine with certainty the country of origin of some of the conflict minerals in its manufactured products. However, the Company does not have knowledge that any of its conflict minerals originated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. The Company is in the process of evaluating its 2024 supply chain, and the Company plans to file its 2024 Form SD with the SEC in May 2025. The results of this and future evaluations may impose additional costs and may introduce new risks related to the Company’s ability to verify the origin of any conflict minerals contained in its products.

In addition, the Company continues to monitor environmental, health and safety regulations in countries in which it operates throughout the world, in particular, European Union and China Restrictions on the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment and European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directives. Further information regarding these regulations is available on the Company’s website, www.waters.com, under the caption “About Waters / Corporate Governance”.

Research and Development

The Company maintains an active research and development program focused on the development and commercialization of products that extend, complement and update its existing product offering. The Company’s research and development expenditures for 2024, 2023 and 2022 were $183 million, $175 million and $176 million, respectively.

Nearly all of the Company’s LC products have been developed at the Company’s main research and development center located in Milford, Massachusetts, with input and feedback from the Company’s extensive field organizations and customers. The majority of the Company’s MS products are developed at facilities in England and most of the Company’s current materials characterization products are developed at the Company’s research and development center in New Castle, Delaware. At December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, there were approximately 1,100, 1,200 and 1,200 employees involved in the Company’s research and development efforts, respectively. The Company has increased research and development expenses from its continued commitment to invest significantly in new product development and existing product enhancements, and as a result of acquisitions. Despite the Company’s active research and development programs, there can be no assurance that the Company’s product development and commercialization efforts will be successful or that the products developed by the Company will be accepted by the marketplace.

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The Company maintains research laboratories in Cambridge, MA and at the University of Delaware, which serves as a strategic, collaborative space in the community, where Waters can partner with academia, research and industry to accelerate the next generation of scientific advancements.

Human Capital

We believe that our people differentiate our business and are vital to our continued success. As a result, we have made important investments in our workforce through initiatives and programs that support talent development and inclusion and enhance our Total Rewards programs.

Employees

The Company employed approximately 7,600, 7,900 and 8,200 employees at December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, with approximately 39% of the Company’s employees located in the United States. The Company believes its employee relations are generally good. The Company’s employees are not unionized or affiliated with any internal or external labor organizations.

Talent Development

We believe that our future success depends in a significant part on our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled employees and then contribute to the growth and development of these employees.

We further the growth and development of our employees by investing in various programs, digital platforms and workshops that build professional and technical skills. In addition, management periodically assesses succession planning for certain key positions and reviews our workforce to identify high potential employees for future growth and development.

Culture of Inclusion

We believe inclusion is a core tenet of organizational success and that fostering a sense of inclusivity allows our employees to maximize their performance contribution to our business. As part of our company-led initiatives to drive an inclusive workplace, we have created Employee Circles and Employee Hubs, which are voluntary, employee-driven employee resource groups open to all our employees worldwide to foster an inclusive culture. Waters has focused on expanding the pipeline of strong candidates in our recruitment processes, including developing partnerships with organizations that support a culture of inclusion in hiring and employee engagement.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority. Through online and in-person training programs, we believe that we foster a safe workplace and ensure that all employees are empowered to prevent accidents and injuries.

Competition

The analytical instrument systems, supplies and services market is highly competitive. The Company encounters competition from several worldwide suppliers and other companies in both domestic and foreign markets for each of its three primary technologies. The Company competes in its markets primarily on the basis of product performance, reliability, service and, to a lesser extent, price. Competitors continuously introduce new products and have instrument businesses that are generally more diversified than the Company’s business. Some competitors have greater financial resources and broader distribution than the Company’s.

In the markets served by Waters, the Company’s principal competitors include: Agilent Technologies, Inc., Shimadzu Corporation, Bruker Corporation, Danaher Corporation and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. In the

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markets served by TA, the Company’s principal competitors include: PerkinElmer, Inc., NETZSCH-Geraetebau GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Malvern PANalytical Ltd., a subsidiary of Spectris plc, Anton-Paar GmbH and others not identified here.

The market for consumable LC products, including separation columns, is highly competitive and generally more fragmented than the analytical instruments market. The Company encounters competition in the consumable columns market from chemical companies that produce column sorbents and small specialized companies that primarily pack purchased sorbents into columns and subsequently package and distribute columns. The Company believes that it is one of the few suppliers that processes silica and polymeric resins, packs columns and distributes its own products. The Company competes in this market on the basis of performance, reproducibility, reputation and, to a lesser extent, price. In recent years, the Company’s principal competitors for consumable products have included: Danaher Corporation; Merck KGaA; Agilent Technologies, Inc.; General Electric Company and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. The ACQUITY UPLC Instrument is designed to offer a predictable level of performance when used with ACQUITY UPLC Columns and the Company believes that the expansion of the ACQUITY UPLC Instrument base will enhance its chromatographic column business because of the high level of synergy between ACQUITY UPLC Columns and the ACQUITY UPLC Instruments.

Patents, Trademarks and Licenses

The Company owns a number of United States and foreign patents and has patent applications pending in the United States and abroad. Certain technology and software has been acquired or is licensed from third parties. The Company also owns a number of trademarks. The Company’s patents, trademarks and licenses are viewed as valuable assets to its operations. However, the Company believes that no one patent or group of patents, trademark or license is, in and of itself, essential to the Company such that its loss would materially affect the Company’s business as a whole.

Environmental Matters and Climate Change

The Company is subject to foreign and U.S. federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances that (i) govern activities or operations that may have adverse environmental effects, such as discharges to air and water as well as handling and disposal practices for solid and hazardous wastes, and (ii) impose liability for the costs of cleaning up and certain damages resulting from sites of past spills, disposals or other releases of hazardous substances. The Company believes that it currently conducts its operations and has operated its business in the past in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws. From time to time, Company operations have resulted or may result in noncompliance with environmental laws or liability for cleanup pursuant to environmental laws. The Company does not currently anticipate any material adverse effect on its operations, financial condition or competitive position as a result of its efforts to comply with environmental laws.

The Company is sensitive to the growing global debate with respect to climate change. An internal sustainability working group develops increasingly robust data with respect to the Company’s utilization of carbon producing substances in an effort to continuously reduce the Company’s carbon footprint. In 2019, the Company published a sustainability report identifying the various actions and behaviors the Company adopted in 2018 concerning its commitment to both the environment and the broader topic of social responsibility. The Company has continued to publish a sustainability report (which was renamed the ESG Report in 2022) on an annual basis. In November 2024, the Company published its 2024 ESG Report, detailing the Company’s efforts to address its environmental impact and uphold its social responsibilities in 2024. See Item 1A, Risk Factors – The effects of climate change could harm the Company’s business, for more information on the potential significance of climate change legislation. See also Note 17 in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for financial information about geographic areas.

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Available Information

The Company files or furnishes all required reports with the SEC. The Company is an electronic filer and the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the SEC electronic filing website is http://www.sec.gov. The Company also makes available, free of charge on its website, its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The website address for Waters Corporation is http://www.waters.com and SEC filings can be found under the caption “Investors”. The Company is providing its website address solely for the information of investors. The Company does not intend the address to be an active link or to otherwise incorporate the contents of the website, including any reports that are noted in this annual report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) as being posted on the website, into this Annual Report. Investors and others should note that we may announce material information to our investors using our investor relations website (ir.waters.com), SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. We use these channels, as well as social media, to communicate with our investors and the public about our Company, our business and other issues. It is possible that the information that we post on these channels could be deemed to be material information. We therefore encourage investors to visit these websites from time to time.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report, including the information incorporated by reference herein, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of the words “feels”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “intends”, “suggests”, “appears”, “estimates”, “projects”, “should” and similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the Company, including, and without limitation:

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Certain of these and other factors are further described below in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Annual Report. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements, whether because of these factors or for other reasons. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report, and forward-looking statements in documents that are incorporated by reference hereto speak only as of the date of those documents. Such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this report. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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Item 1A: Risk Factors

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the following:

RISKS RELATED TO MACROECONOMIC CONDITIONS

The Company’s international operations may be negatively affected by political events, wars or terrorism, economic conditions and regulatory changes, related to either a specific country or a larger region. These potential political, currency and economic disruptions, as well as foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Approximately 68% and 69% of the Company’s net sales in 2024 and 2023, respectively, were outside of the United States and were primarily denominated in foreign currencies. In addition, the Company has considerable manufacturing operations in Ireland and the U.K., as well as significant subcontractors located in Singapore. As a result, a significant portion of the Company’s sales and operations are subject to certain risks, including adverse developments in the political, regulatory and economic environment, in particular, uncertainty regarding possible changes to foreign and domestic trade policy; trade protection measures, including embargoes, sanctions and tariffs; impact and costs of terrorism or war, in particular as a result of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, and the possibility of further escalation resulting in new geopolitical and regulatory instability; the financial difficulties and debt burden experienced by a number of European countries; sudden movements in a country’s foreign exchange rates due to a change in a country’s sovereign risk profile or foreign exchange regulatory practices; differing tax laws and changes in those laws; restrictions on investments and/or limitations regarding foreign ownership; nationalization of private enterprises which may result in the confiscation of assets; credit risk and uncertainties regarding the collectability of accounts receivable; the impact of global health crises, pandemics and epidemics; changes in inflation and interest rates; instability in the global banking industry; rising energy prices and potential energy shortages; difficulties in protecting intellectual property; difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations; and associated adverse operational, contractual and tax consequences.

In 2024, the Company generated $397 million of total net sales from China, down from $565 million in 2022. This significant 30% reduction in sales from China resulted from lower customer demand for our products across all customer classes, driven by various factors. Such factors include a decline in the economic conditions in China, trade tensions and tariffs between the U.S. and China and their impact on our business and particularly customers’ purchasing decisions, increased competition from local and international competitors in China, the Chinese government’s ongoing tightening of restrictions on procurement by government-funded customers and other regulatory and compliance challenges and uncertainties in the Chinese market, all of which had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our business and operations in China. For example, in March 2024, the Company had a reduction in workforce that impacted approximately 2% of its employees, primarily in China due to the significant decline in sales resulting from lower customer demand.

In particular, China’s government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing sector-specific policies, and it maintains control over China’s economic growth through setting monetary policy and determining treatment of particular industries or companies. The U.S. government has called for substantial changes to foreign trade policy with China and has recently raised, and has proposed to further raise in the future, tariffs on several Chinese goods. China has retaliated with increased tariffs on U.S. goods, which may increase our cost of doing business in China. Any further changes in U.S. trade policy could trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries, including China, resulting in trade wars and increased costs for goods imported into the U.S. and impacting our ability to sell our products in China and other affected countries. Accordingly, our financial position or results of operations can be adversely influenced by political, economic, legal, compliance, social and business conditions in China generally.

Additionally, the U.S. dollar value of the Company’s net sales, cost of sales, operating expenses, interest, taxes and net income varies with foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Significant increases or decreases

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in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to certain foreign currencies, particularly the euro, Japanese yen, British pound and Chinese renminbi, could have a material adverse effect or benefit on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

From time to time, the Company enters into certain foreign currency exchange contracts that are intended to offset some of the market risk associated with sales denominated in foreign currencies. We cannot predict the effectiveness of these transactions or their impact upon our future operating results, and from time to time they may negatively affect our quarterly earnings.

Global economic conditions may have an adverse effect on the demand for, and supply of, the Company’s products and harm the Company’s financial results.

The Company is a global business that may be adversely affected by changes in global economic conditions such as changes in the rate of inflation (including the cost of raw materials, commodities and supplies) and interest rates. Both our domestic and international markets experience varying degrees of inflationary and interest rate pressures. These changes in global economic conditions may affect the demand for, and supply of, the Company’s products and services. This may result in a decline in sales in the future, increased rate of order cancellations or delays, increased risk of excess or obsolete inventories, longer sales cycles and potential difficulty in collecting sales proceeds. There can be no assurance regarding demand for the Company’s products and services in the future.

Disruption in worldwide financial markets could adversely impact the Company’s access to capital and financial condition.

Financial markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia have experienced times of extreme disruption, including, among other things, sharp increases in the cost of new capital, credit rating downgrades and bailouts, severely diminished capital availability and severely reduced liquidity in money markets. Financial and banking institutions have also experienced disruptions, resulting in large asset write-downs, higher costs of capital, rating downgrades and reduced desire to lend money. There can be no assurance that there will not be future deterioration or prolonged disruption in financial markets or financial institutions. Any future deterioration or prolonged disruption in financial markets or financial institutions in which the Company participates may impair the Company’s ability to access its existing cash, utilize its existing syndicated bank credit facility funded by such financial institutions or access sources of new capital, which it may need to meet its capital needs. The cost to the Company of any new capital raised and interest expense would increase if this were to occur.

Public health crises, epidemics or pandemics have had, and could in the future have, a negative impact on the Company’s business and operations.

Public health crises, epidemics or pandemics have had, and could in the future have, a negative impact on our business and operations, including Company sales and cash flow. Such public health crises, epidemics and pandemics have the potential to create significant volatility, uncertainty and worldwide economic disruption, resulting in an economic slowdown of potentially extended duration, as seen with the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. The Company’s global operations expose it to risks associated with such public health crises, epidemics and pandemics, which could have an adverse effect on its business, results of operations and financial condition. The degree to which such public health crisis, epidemics or pandemics ultimately affects the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS

The Company’s financial results are subject to changes in customer demand, which may decrease for a number of reasons, many beyond the Company’s control.

The demand for the Company’s products is dependent upon the size of the markets for its LC, LC-MS, light scattering, thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry products; the timing and level of capital spending and expenditures of the Company’s customers; changes in governmental regulations, particularly those affecting drug, food and drinking water testing; funding available to academic, governmental and research institutions;

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health policy; export controls; general economic conditions and the rate of economic growth in the Company’s major markets; and competitive considerations. Policy, regulatory and enforcement changes introduced by the new presidential administration and regulatory leadership in the United States may impact the business and capital expenditure strategies of the Company’s customers, which in turn could adversely impact the Company’s results of operations or financial condition. The Company typically experiences seasonality in its orders that is reflected as an increase in sales in its fourth quarter as a result of purchasing habits for capital goods by customers that tend to exhaust their spending budgets by calendar year-end. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will effectively forecast customer demand and appropriately allocate research and development expenditures to products with high growth and high margin prospects. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the Company’s results of operations or financial condition will not be adversely impacted by a change in any of the factors listed above or the continuation of uncertain global economic conditions.

The analytical instrument market may also, from time to time, experience low sales growth. Approximately 58% and 57% of the Company’s net sales in 2024 and 2023, respectively, were to worldwide pharmaceutical accounts, which are periodically subject to unfavorable market conditions and consolidations. Unfavorable industry conditions could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Competitors may introduce more effective or less expensive products than the Company’s, which could result in decreased sales. The competitive landscape may transform as a result of potential changes in ownership, mergers and continued consolidations among the Company’s competitors, which could harm the Company’s business.

The analytical instrument market, and, in particular, the portion related to the Company’s HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS, light scattering, thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry product lines, is highly competitive. The Company encounters competition from several international instrument suppliers and other companies in both domestic and foreign markets. Some competitors have instrument businesses that are generally more diversified than the Company’s business but are typically less focused on the Company’s chosen markets. Over the years, some competitors have merged with other competitors for various reasons, including increasing product line offerings, improving market share and reducing costs. There can be no assurance that the Company’s competitors will not introduce new, disruptive technologies that displace the Company’s existing technologies or more effective and less costly products than those of the Company or that the Company will be able to increase its sales and profitability from new product introductions. There can be no assurance that the Company’s sales and marketing forces will compete successfully against the Company’s competitors in the future.

Strategies for organic growth require developing new technologies and bringing these new technologies to market, which could negatively impact the Company’s financial results.

The Company’s corporate strategy is fundamentally based on winning through organic innovation and deep application expertise. The Company is in the process of developing new products with recently acquired technologies. The future development of these new products will require a significant amount of spending over the next few years before any significant, robust sales will be realized. Furthermore, these new products will be sold into both the non-clinical and clinical markets, and any new products requiring FDA clearance may take longer to bring to market. There can be no assurance given as to the timing of these new product launches and the ultimate realization of sales and profitability in the future.

In addition, the Company’s products are subject to rapid changes in technology. Rapidly changing technology could make some or all of our product lines obsolete unless the Company is able to continually improve our existing products and develop new products. If the Company fails to develop and introduce products in a timely manner in response to changing technology, market demands or the requirements of our customers, the Company’s product sales may decline, and we could experience an adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

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Issues and uncertainties related to the development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence in the Company’s business operations and products may result in harm to the Company’s reputation, regulatory action or legal liability.

The Company is beginning to integrate artificial intelligence (“AI”) into its business operations and products and continues to research further uses and opportunities for AI development. As AI is a rapidly developing technology that is still in the early stages of being researched and understood, the development, deployment and use of AI presents novel risks and challenges that have the potential to adversely impact the Company’s business. The premature use of inadequate AI or the use of deficient AI, including flawed or biased algorithms, could harm the Company’s brand, reputation or competitive advantage or result in regulatory penalties or legal liability. Failures in AI functionality could result in delays in new product offerings and services and have an adverse impact on other business activities. Delays or disruptions in successfully developing and implementing AI as part of the Company’s business activities, products or services could have a negative impact on the Company’s competitiveness, particularly if competitors are successful in making and leveraging such advancements, and the development of adequate AI technology will require significant investment. Due to the novelty of AI technology, the Company may also experience additional risks that cannot yet be predicted.

Laws and regulations arising from the use and development of AI technology present additional uncertainties and risks to the Company. In particular, the use and development of AI implicates risks related to intellectual property, data protection and privacy laws and regulations. Due to the rapid developments being made in AI technology, the legal and regulatory landscape related to AI is constantly evolving. Complying with developing laws, regulations and standards could significantly burden the Company, and failures to comply could result in legal liability, regulatory action or reputational harm.

The Company may face risks associated with previous or future acquisitions, strategic investments, joint ventures and divestitures.

In the normal course of business, the Company may engage in discussions with third parties relating to possible acquisitions, strategic investments, joint ventures and divestitures. The Company may pursue transactions that complement or augment its existing products and services, such as the Wyatt acquisition that was completed in May 2023. Such transactions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in integrating the acquired operations, technologies and products; diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; inability to predict financial results; potential departures of key employees of the acquired company; and difficulties in effectively transferring divested businesses and liabilities. If the Company successfully identifies acquisitions in the future, completing such acquisitions may result in new issuances of the Company’s stock that may be dilutive to current owners; increases in the Company’s debt and contingent liabilities; and additional amortization expense related to intangible assets. For example, the Company financed the Wyatt acquisition, in part, through borrowings under its revolving credit facility, resulting in a significant increase in the Company’s outstanding debt. Acquired businesses may also expose the Company to new risks and new markets, and the Company may have difficulty addressing these risks in a cost-effective and timely manner. Any of these transaction-related risks could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s profitability. In addition, the Company may not be able to identify, successfully complete, or integrate potential acquisitions in the future. Even if the Company can do so, it cannot be sure that these acquisitions will have a positive impact on the Company’s business or operating results.

The Company’s software or hardware may contain coding or manufacturing errors that could impact their function, performance and security, and result in other negative consequences.

Despite testing prior to the release and throughout the lifecycle of a product or service, the detection and correction of any errors in released software or hardware can be time consuming and costly. This could delay the development or release of new products or services, or new versions of products or services, create security vulnerabilities in the Company’s products or services, and adversely affect market acceptance of products or services. If the Company experiences errors or delays in releasing its software or hardware, or new versions thereof, its sales could be affected, and revenues could decline. Errors in software or hardware could expose the Company to product liability, performance and warranty claims as well as harm to brand and reputation, which could impact future sales.

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A successful product liability claim brought against the Company in excess of, or outside the coverage of, the Company’s insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company may not be able to maintain product liability insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, and insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities.

Disruption of operations, including at the Company’s manufacturing facilities, or disruption or failure of the Company’s key technology systems could have a material impact on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Company manufactures LC instruments at facilities in Milford, Massachusetts and through a subcontractor in Singapore; precision chemistry separation columns at its facilities in Taunton, Massachusetts and Wexford, Ireland; MS products at its facilities in Wilmslow, England, Birmingham, England and Wexford, Ireland; thermal analysis and rheometry products at its facilities in New Castle, Delaware; and other instruments and consumables at various other locations as a result of the Company’s acquisitions. Any prolonged disruption to the operations at any of these facilities, whether due to labor difficulties, destruction of or damage to any facility, power interruptions, cybersecurity incidents, failure of key technology systems, weather events or natural disasters (including the potential impacts of climate change) or other reasons, could harm our customer relationships, impede our ability to generate sales and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Our worldwide enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system is integral to our ability to accurately and efficiently maintain our books and records, record transactions, coordinate resource allocation between our manufacturing facilities across the globe, provide critical information to our management, and prepare our financial statements. In December 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the implementation of a new worldwide ERP system, which is expected to provide enhanced operating efficiencies, process alignment, information sharing, and scalability compared to the Company’s existing ERP system. While implementation of the new ERP system is currently underway, the full transition to the new ERP system is expected to be a multi-year process. Transitioning from the existing ERP system to the new ERP system has required and will continue to require significant investment of human and financial resources, and we may experience significant increases to inherent costs and risks associated with such a transition, including capital expenditures, additional operating expenses, demands on management time and other risks and costs of delays or potential challenges, such as the cost of training personnel, migration of data, the potential instability of the new ERP system and cost overruns. A significant disruption or deficiency in the design or implementation of the new ERP system may adversely affect our ability to process orders, ship product, send invoices and track payments, fulfil contractual obligations, maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting or otherwise operate our business and, as a result, may have an adverse and material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Failure to adequately protect intellectual property could have materially adverse effects on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Our success depends on our ability to obtain, maintain, and enforce patents on our technology, maintain our trademarks, and protect our trade secrets. There can be no assurance that any patents held by the Company will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented or that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive advantages to the Company. Additionally, there could be successful claims against the Company by third-party patent holders with respect to certain Company products that may infringe the intellectual property rights of such third parties. In the event that a claim relating to intellectual property is asserted against the Company, or third parties hold pending or issued patents that relate to the Company’s products or technology, the Company may seek licenses to such intellectual property or challenge those patents. However, the Company may be unable to obtain these licenses on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, and the challenge of the patents may be unsuccessful. The Company’s failure to obtain the necessary licenses or other rights could impact the sale, manufacture, or distribution of its products and, therefore, could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations and financial condition. The Company’s patents, including those licensed from others, expire on various dates.

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The Company also depends in part on its trademarks and the strength of its proprietary brands, which the Company considers important to its business. The Company’s inability to protect or preserve the value of its intellectual property rights for any reason, including the Company’s inability to successfully defend against counterfeit, knock-offs, grey-market, infringing or otherwise unauthorized products, could damage the Company’s brand and reputation and harm its business.

The Company also relies on trade secrets and proprietary know-how with which it seeks to protect its products, in part, by confidentiality agreements with its collaborators, employees and consultants. These agreements may not adequately protect the Company’s trade secrets and other proprietary rights. These agreements may be breached, and the Company may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, the Company’s trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by its competitors. If the Company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights, it could have an adverse and material effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

The Company’s business would suffer if the Company were unable to acquire adequate sources of supply.

Most of the raw materials, components and supplies purchased by the Company are available from a number of different suppliers; however, a number of items are purchased from limited or single sources of supply. Consolidation among such suppliers could also result in other limited or sole-source suppliers for the Company in the future. Disruption of these sources could have, at a minimum, a temporary adverse effect on shipments and the financial results of the Company. In addition, price increases from these suppliers, including as a result of any imposed tariffs, could have an adverse effect on the Company’s margins. A prolonged inability to obtain certain materials or components or a sustained material cost increase to source such materials and components could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations and could result in damage to its relationships with its customers and, accordingly, adversely affect the Company’s business.

The Company’s sales would deteriorate if the Company’s outside contractors fail to provide necessary components or modules.

Certain components or modules of the Company’s LC and MS instruments are manufactured by outside contractors, including the manufacturing of LC instrument systems and related components by contract manufacturing firms in Singapore. The ability of these contractors to perform their obligations is largely outside of the Company’s control. Failure by these outside contractors to perform their obligations in a timely manner or at satisfactory quality levels could have an adverse effect on the supply chain and the financial results of the Company. In addition, if one or more of such contractors experience significant disruption in services or institute a significant price increase, the Company may have to seek alternative providers, its costs could increase and the delivery of its products could be prevented or delayed. A prolonged inability to obtain these components or modules could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

The Company’s business could be harmed by actions of third-party sales intermediaries and other third parties that sell our products.

The Company sells some products through third parties, including third-party sales intermediaries and value-added resellers. This exposes us to various risks, including competitive pressure, concentration of sales volumes, credit risks and compliance risks. We may rely on one or a few key third-party sales intermediaries for a product or market and the loss of these third-party sales intermediaries could reduce our revenue or net earnings. Third-party sales intermediaries may also face financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, which could harm our collection of accounts receivable. Moreover, violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act or similar anti-bribery laws by distributors or other third-party intermediaries could materially and adversely impact our business, reputation and results of operations. Risks related to our use of third-party sales intermediaries and other third parties may reduce sales, increase expenses and weaken our competitive position.

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The Company is subject to laws and regulations governing government contracts, and failure to address these laws and regulations or comply with government contracts could harm its business by leading to a reduction in revenues associated with these customers.

The Company derives a portion of its revenue from direct and indirect sales to U.S. federal, state and local as well as foreign governments and their respective agencies, and, as a result, it is subject to various statutes and regulations that apply to companies doing business with the government. The laws governing government contracts differ from the laws governing private contracts and government contracts may contain pricing terms and conditions that are not applicable to private contracts. The Company is also subject to investigation for compliance with the regulations governing government contracts. A failure to comply with these regulations could result in suspension of these contracts, criminal, civil and administrative penalties or debarment, which could negatively impact the Company’s business and operations. If the Company’s government contracts are terminated, if it is suspended from government work or if its ability to compete for new contracts is adversely affected, the Company’s business could be negatively impacted.

The Company’s financial results are subject to unexpected shifts in pre-tax income between tax jurisdictions, changing application of tax law and tax audit examinations.

The Company is subject to rates of income tax that range from 0% up to 34% in various jurisdictions in which it conducts business. In addition, the Company typically generates a substantial portion of its income in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Geographical shifts in income from previous quarters’ projections caused by factors including, but not limited to, changes in volume and product mix and fluctuations in foreign currency translation rates, could therefore have potentially significant favorable or unfavorable effects on the Company’s income tax expense, effective tax rate and results of operations.

Governments in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates implement changes to tax laws and regulations from time to time. Starting in 2024, various foreign jurisdictions are beginning to implement aspects of the guidance issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development related to the new Pillar Two system of global minimum tax rules. These new tax laws and regulations, and any changes in corporate income tax rates or regulations regarding transfer pricing or repatriation of dividends or capital, as well as changes in the interpretation of existing tax laws and regulations, could adversely affect the Company’s cash flow and lead to increases in its overall tax burden, which would negatively affect the Company’s profitability. These changes in tax law did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows in 2024. As of the date of this Annual Report, the Company does not anticipate that the Pillar Two tax rules will have a material impact on future periods.

The Company entered into a new Development and Expansion Incentive in Singapore that provides a concessionary income tax rate of 5% on certain types of income for the period April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2026. Prior to April 1, 2021, the Company had a tax exemption in Singapore on certain types of income, based upon the achievement and continued satisfaction of certain operational and financial milestones, which the Company met as of December 31, 2020 and maintained through March 2021. The Company had determined that it was more likely than not to realize the tax exemption in Singapore and, accordingly, did not recognize any reserves for unrecognized tax benefits on its balance sheet related to this tax exemption. If any of the milestone targets were not met, the Company would not have been entitled to the tax exemption on income earned in Singapore dating back to the start date of the agreement (April 1, 2016), and all the tax benefits previously recognized would be reversed, resulting in the recognition of income tax expense equal to the statutory tax of 17% on income earned during that period.

As a global business, the Company is subject to tax audit examinations in various jurisdictions throughout the world. The Company must manage the cost and disruption of responding to governmental audits, investigations and proceedings. In addition, the impact of the settlement of pending or future tax audit examination could have an unfavorable effect on the Company’s income tax expense, effective tax rate and results of operations.

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The Company may be required to recognize impairment charges for our goodwill and other intangible assets.

As of December 31, 2024, the net carrying value of the Company’s goodwill and other intangible assets totaled approximately $1.9 billion. The Wyatt acquisition significantly increased the carrying value of the Company’s goodwill and other intangible assets, which could lead to potential impairments if Wyatt’s financial results are significantly less than anticipated in the future. In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, the Company periodically assesses these assets to determine if they are impaired. Significant negative industry or economic trends, disruptions to the Company’s business, inability to effectively integrate acquired businesses, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in use of our assets, changes in the structure of our business, divestitures, market capitalization declines or increases in associated discount rates can impair the Company’s goodwill and other intangible assets. Any charges relating to such impairments adversely affect the Company’s financial statements in the periods recognized.

RISKS RELATED TO HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

We may not be able to attract and retain qualified employees.

Our future success depends upon the continued service of our executive officers and other key management and technical personnel, and on our ability to continue to identify, attract, retain and motivate them. Implementing our business strategy requires specialized engineering and other talent, as our revenues are highly dependent on technological and product innovations. The market for employees in our industry is extremely competitive, and competitors for talent, particularly engineering talent, increasingly attempt to hire, and to varying degrees have been successful in hiring, our employees. A number of such competitors for talent are significantly larger than us and are able to offer compensation in excess of what we are able to offer. Additionally, macroeconomic conditions, including wage inflation, could have a material impact on our ability to attract and retain talent, our turnover rate and the cost of operating our business. During 2024 and 2023, the Company made organizational changes to better align its resources with its growth and innovation strategies, resulting in a worldwide workforce reduction that impacted approximately 5% of the Company’s employees. These workforce reductions may not have the desired impact on our cost-saving initiatives, as they could adversely affect our productivity, morale, customer relationships, product quality, innovation capabilities and ability to execute our strategic plans. Moreover, these workforce reductions could expose us to potential litigation, severance costs, reputational damage and loss of key personnel. If we are unable to manage the effects of these workforce reductions or achieve the expected benefits from them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Further, existing immigration laws make it more difficult for us to recruit and retain highly skilled foreign national graduates of universities in the United States, making the pool of available talent even smaller. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified employees, our business may be harmed.

The loss of key members of management and the risks inherent in succession planning could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

The operation of the Company requires managerial and operational expertise. None of the Company’s key management employees, with the exception of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, have an employment contract with the Company and there can be no assurance that such individuals will remain with the Company. If, for any reason, other key personnel do not continue to be active in management, the Company’s results of operations or financial condition could be adversely affected. The Company’s success also depends on its ability to execute leadership succession plans. The inability to successfully transition key management roles could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operating results.

RISKS RELATED TO CYBERSECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY

Disruption, cyber-attack or unforeseen problems with the security, maintenance or upgrade of the Company’s information and web-based systems could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business strategy, results of operations and financial condition.

The Company relies on its technology infrastructure and that of its third-party partners, including its software and banking partners, among other functions, to interact with suppliers, sell products and services, fulfill contract

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obligations, ship products, collect and make electronic wire and check based payments and otherwise conduct business. The Company’s technology infrastructure and that of its third-party partners has been, and may in the future be, vulnerable to damage or interruption from, but not limited to, natural disasters, power loss, telecommunication failures, terrorist attacks, computer viruses, ransomware, unauthorized access to customer or employee data, unauthorized access to and funds transfers from Company bank accounts and other attempts to harm the Company’s systems. The risk of damage or interruption to technology infrastructure as a result of cyber-attacks has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks from around the world have increased, including through state-sponsored actors and/or the use of artificial intelligence.

In the event of such an incident, the Company has in the past, and may in the future, suffer interruptions in service, loss of assets or data or reduced functionality. The Company attempts to mitigate cybersecurity risks by employing a number of proactive measures, including mandatory ongoing employee training and awareness, technical security controls, enhanced data protection and maintenance of backup and protective systems. Despite these mitigation measures, the Company’s systems and those of its partners remain potentially vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business. To date, cybersecurity incidents have not resulted in a material adverse impact to the Company’s business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition, but future incidents could have such an impact. Additionally, the Company must maintain and periodically upgrade its information and web-based systems, which has caused and will in the future cause temporary interruptions to its technology infrastructure. Any prolonged disruption to the Company’s technology infrastructure, at any of its facilities, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. While the Company maintains cyber insurance, this insurance may not, however, be sufficient to cover the financial, legal, business or reputational losses that may result from an interruption or breach of its systems.

If the Company’s security measures are compromised or fail to adequately protect its technology infrastructure, research and development efforts or manufacturing operations, the Company’s products and services may be perceived as vulnerable or unreliable, the information protected by the Company’s controls and processes may be subject to unauthorized access, acquisition or modification, the Company’s brand and reputation could be damaged, the services that the Company provides to its customers could be disrupted, and customers may stop using the Company’s products and services, all of which could reduce the Company’s revenue and earnings, increase its expenses and expose it to legal claims and regulatory actions.

The Company is in the business of designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing analytical instruments to life science, pharmaceutical, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety and environmental, academic and governmental customers working in research and development, quality assurance and other laboratory applications, and the Company is also a developer and supplier of software and software-based products that support instrument systems. Many of the Company’s customers are in highly regulated industries. While the Company has invested time and resources implementing measures designed to protect the integrity and security of its technology infrastructure, research and development processes, manufacturing operations, products and services, and the internal and external data managed by the Company, there is a risk these measures will be defeated or compromised or that they are otherwise insufficient to protect against existing or emerging threats. The Company also has acquired companies, products, services and technologies over time and may face inherent risk when integrating these acquisitions into the Company. In addition, at times, the Company faces attempts by third parties to defeat its security measures or exploit vulnerabilities in its systems. These risks will increase as the Company continues to grow and expand geographically, and its systems, products and services become increasingly digital and sensor- and web-based.

The Company could suffer significant damage to its brand and reputation if a security incident resulted in unauthorized access to, acquisition of, or modification to the Company’s technology infrastructure, research and development processes, manufacturing operations, its products and services as well as the internal and external data managed by the Company. Such an incident could disrupt the Company’s operations and customers could lose confidence in the Company’s ability to deliver quality and reliable products or services. This could negatively impact sales and could increase costs related to fixing and addressing these incidents and any

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vulnerabilities exposed by them, as well as to lawsuits, regulatory investigations, claims or legal liability including contractual liability, costs and expenses owed to customers and business partners.

The Company is subject to varying data privacy laws and regulations, and a violation of such laws and regulations could have a negative impact on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Company is subject to varying data privacy laws and regulations related to the collection, storage and transmission of personal data in jurisdictions including the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, among others. The legal and regulatory landscape relating to data privacy is continuously changing, and there has been an increased emphasis on developing and enforcing privacy and data protection laws. In addition to regulatory consequences, any failure to protect personal data may damage the Company’s reputation or relationships with its customers, employees and partners. Safeguarding personal data and complying with related laws and regulations creates significant costs for the Company, and a failure to comply could result in legal liability, regulatory action or reputational harm, which could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

RISKS RELATED TO COMPLIANCE, REGULATORY OR LEGAL MATTERS

Changes in governmental regulations and compliance failures could harm the Company’s business.

The Company is subject to regulation by various federal, state and foreign governments and agencies in areas including, among others, health and safety, import/export, privacy and data protection, FCPA and environmental laws and regulations. A portion of the Company’s operations are subject to regulation by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory agencies. Regulations govern an array of product activities, including design, development, labeling, manufacturing, promotion, sales and distribution. These regulations are complex and can change frequently (including as a result of changes in interpretation of existing regulations). In particular, significant political shifts in any of the countries in which the Company conducts business, including the United States, may result in regulatory uncertainty and substantial changes in the regulatory regimes to which the Company is subject. For example, the new presidential administration and regulatory leadership in the United States may propose, enact or pursue policy, regulatory and enforcement changes that create additional uncertainty for our business. Any failure by the Company to comply with applicable governmental regulations could result in product recalls, the imposition of fines, restrictions on the Company’s ability to conduct or expand its operations or the cessation of all or a portion of its operations. Additionally, the Company develops, configures and markets its products and services to meet customer needs created by these regulations, and any significant change in regulations could reduce demand for its products, increase its expenses or otherwise materially impact its financial position and results of operations.

Regulators globally are increasingly imposing greater fines and penalties for privacy and data protection violations, and the European Union, as an example, has enacted a broad data protection regulation with fines based on a percentage of global revenues. Changes in laws or regulations associated with enhanced protection of certain sensitive types of personal information, such as information related to health, could greatly increase the cost of compliance and the cost of providing the Company’s products or services. Any failure, or perceived failure, by the Company to comply with laws and regulations on privacy, data security or consumer protection, or other policies, public perception, standards, self-regulatory requirements or legal obligations, could result in lost or restricted business, proceedings, actions or fines brought against the Company or levied by governmental entities or others, or could otherwise adversely affect the business and harm the Company’s reputation.

Some of the Company’s operations are subject to domestic and international laws and regulations with respect to the manufacturing, handling, use or sale of toxic or hazardous substances. This requires the Company to devote substantial resources to maintain compliance with those applicable laws and regulations. If the Company fails to comply with such requirements in the manufacturing or distribution of its products, it could face civil and/or criminal penalties and potentially be prohibited from distributing or selling such products until they are compliant.

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Some of the Company’s products are also subject to the rules of certain industrial standards bodies, such as the International Standards Organization. The Company must comply with these rules, as well as those of other agencies, such as the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Failure to comply with such rules could result in the loss of certification and/or the imposition of fines and penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations.

As a publicly traded company, the Company is subject to the rules of the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, the Company must comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley regulations, which require the Company to establish and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s efforts to comply with such laws and regulations are time consuming and costly. While we continue to enhance our controls, we cannot be certain that we will be able to prevent future significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. Failure to comply with such regulations or having inadequate internal controls could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and operations, which could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock and our access to capital.

The Company is subject to the rules of the SEC under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which require disclosure as to whether certain materials (tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten), known as conflict minerals, which may be contained in the Company’s products, are mined from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries. In 2023, the Company was not able to determine with certainty the country of origin of some of the conflict minerals in its manufactured products. However, the Company does not have knowledge that any of its conflict minerals originated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. The Company is in the process of evaluating its 2024 supply chain, and the Company plans to file its 2024 Form SD with the SEC in May 2025. The results of this and future evaluations may impose additional costs and may introduce new risks related to the Company’s ability to verify the origin of any conflict minerals contained in its products.

The Company may be harmed by improper conduct of any of our employees, agents or business partners.

We cannot provide assurance that our internal controls and compliance systems will always protect the Company from acts committed by employees, agents or business partners that would violate domestic and international laws, including laws governing payments to government officials, bribery, fraud, kickbacks and false claims, pricing, sales and marketing practices, conflicts of interest, competition, export and import compliance, money laundering and data privacy. In particular, the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree. Any such improper actions or allegations of such acts could damage our reputation and subject us to civil or criminal investigations in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions and related shareholder lawsuits, could lead to substantial civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties and could cause us to incur significant legal and investigatory fees. In addition, the government may seek to hold us liable as a successor for violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. We also rely on our suppliers to adhere to our supplier standards of conduct and material violations of such standards of conduct could occur that could have a material effect on our business, reputation and financial statements. In addition, any allegations of issues resulting from the misuse of our products could, even if untrue, adversely affect our reputation and our customers’ willingness to purchase products from us. Any such allegations could cause us to lose customers and divert our resources from other tasks, which could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Environmental, social and corporate governance (“ESG”) issues, including those related to climate change and sustainability, may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and damage our reputation.

There is an increasing focus from certain investors, customers, consumers, employees and other stakeholders concerning ESG matters. Additionally, public interest and legislative pressure related to public companies’ ESG

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practices continue to grow. If our ESG practices fail to meet regulatory requirements or investor, customer, consumer, employee or other stakeholders’ evolving expectations and standards for responsible corporate citizenship in areas including environmental stewardship and sustainability, support for local communities, director and employee diversity, human capital management, employee health and safety practices, product quality, supply chain management, corporate governance and transparency, our reputation, brand and employee retention may be negatively impacted, and our customers and suppliers may be unwilling to continue to conduct business with us.

Customers, consumers, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly focusing on environmental issues, including climate change, energy and water use, plastic waste and other sustainability concerns. Concern over climate change or plastics and packaging materials, in particular, may result in new or increased legal and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate impacts to the environment. Changing customer and consumer preferences or increased regulatory requirements may result in increased demands or requirements regarding plastics and packaging materials, including single-use and non-recyclable plastic products and packaging, other components of our products and their environmental impact on sustainability, or increased customer and consumer concerns or perceptions (whether accurate or inaccurate) regarding the effects of substances present in certain of our products. Complying with these demands or requirements could cause us and companies in our supply chain to incur additional manufacturing, operating or product development costs.

If we do not adapt to or comply with new regulations, or fail to meet evolving investor, industry or stakeholder expectations and concerns regarding ESG issues, investors may reconsider their capital investment in our Company, and customers and consumers may choose to stop purchasing our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business or financial condition.

The Company is subject to or otherwise responsible for a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of business that can adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

From time to time, the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to or otherwise responsible for a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of business, as well as regulatory subpoenas, requests for information, investigations and enforcement. Defending or otherwise responding to these matters can divert the Company’s management’s attention and may cause it to incur significant expenses. The Company believes it has meritorious arguments in its current litigation matters and believes any outcome, either individually or in the aggregate, will not be material to the Company’s financial position or results of operations. However, each of these matters is subject to uncertainties, and it is possible that some of these matters may be resolved unfavorably to the Company.

GENERAL RISK FACTORS

The effects of climate change could harm the Company’s business.

The Company’s manufacturing processes for certain of its products involve the use of chemicals and other substances that are regulated under various international, federal, state and local laws governing the environment. In the event that any future climate change legislation would require that stricter standards be imposed by domestic or international environmental regulatory authorities with respect to the use and/or levels of possible emissions from such chemicals and/or other substances, the Company may be required to make certain changes and adaptations to its manufacturing processes. Any such changes could have a material adverse effect on the financial statements of the Company.

Another potential effect of climate change is an increase in the severity of global weather conditions. The Company’s manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., U.K., Ireland and Germany. In addition, the Company manufactures a growing percentage of its HPLC, UPLC and MS products in both Singapore and Ireland. Severe weather and geological conditions or events, including earthquakes, hurricanes and/or tsunamis, could potentially cause significant damage to the Company’s manufacturing facilities in each of these countries. The effects of such damage and the resulting disruption of manufacturing operations and the impact of lost sales could have a material adverse impact on the financial results of the Company.

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Estimates and assumptions made in accounting for the Company’s results from operations are dependent on future results, which involve significant judgments and may be imprecise and may differ materially from actual results.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities at the dates of the financial statements. These estimates and assumptions must be made due to certain information used in preparation of our financial statements which is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with a high degree of precision from data available or is not capable of being readily calculated based on generally accepted methodologies. The Company believes that the accounting related to revenue recognition, goodwill and intangible assets, income taxes, uncertain tax positions, litigation, business combinations and asset acquisitions and inventory valuation involves significant judgments and estimates. Actual results for all estimates could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions used, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by changes to the Company’s retirement plans or retirement plan assets.

The Company sponsors various retirement plans, both inside and outside the United States. Any changes in regulations made by governments in countries in which the Company sponsors retirement plans could adversely impact the Company’s cash flows or results of operations. In connection with these retirement plans, the Company is exposed to market risks associated with changes in the various capital markets. For example, changes in long-term interest rates affect the discount rate that is used to measure the Company’s retirement plan obligations and related expense. In addition, changes in the market value of investments held by the retirement plans could materially impact the funded status of the retirement plans and affect the related pension expense and level and timing of contributions required under applicable laws.

The Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if the Company is unable to maintain a sufficient level of cash flow.

The Company had $1.6 billion in debt and $325 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the Company also had the ability to borrow an additional $1.6 billion from its existing, committed credit facility. All but a small portion of the Company’s debt was in the U.S. There is a substantial cash requirement in the United States to fund operations and capital expenditures, service debt interest obligations, finance potential United States acquisitions and continue authorized stock repurchase programs. As such, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted if the Company is unable to generate and maintain a sufficient level of cash flow to address these requirements through (1) cash from operations, (2) the Company’s ability to access its existing cash and revolving credit facility, (3) the ability to expand the Company’s borrowing capacity and (4) other sources of capital obtained at an acceptable cost.

Debt covenants, and the Company’s failure to comply with them, could negatively impact the Company’s capital and financial results.

The Company’s existing debt is, and future debt may be, subject to restrictive debt covenants that limit the Company’s ability to engage in certain activities that could otherwise benefit the Company. These debt covenants include restrictions on the Company’s ability to enter into certain contracts or agreements, which may limit the Company’s ability to make dividend or other payments, secure other indebtedness, enter into transactions with affiliates and consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of the Company’s assets. The Company is also required to meet specified financial ratios under the terms of the Company’s debt agreements. The Company’s ability to comply with these financial restrictions and all other covenants is dependent on the Company’s future performance, which is subject to, but not limited to, prevailing economic conditions and other factors, including factors that are beyond the Company’s control, such as foreign exchange rates, interest rates, changes in technology and changes in the level of competition. Failure to comply with restrictive debt covenants that are not waived or cured could result in an event of default under the applicable debt instrument, which could permit acceleration of the applicable debt and require the Company to prepay the debt before its scheduled due date.

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Item 1B: Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

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Item 2: Properties

Waters Corporation operates 19 United States facilities and 68 international facilities, including field offices. The Company believes its facilities are suitable and adequate for its current production level and for reasonable growth over the next several years. The Company’s primary facilities are summarized in the table below.

Primary Facility Locations (1)

The Company operates and maintains 9 field offices in the United States and 55 field offices abroad in addition to sales offices in the primary facilities listed above. The Company’s field office locations are listed below.

Field Office Locations (3)

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Item 3: Legal Proceedings

From time to time, the Company and its subsidiaries are involved in various lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings covering a wide range of matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company believes it has meritorious arguments in its current litigation matters and believes any outcome, either individually or in the aggregate, will not be material to the Company’s financial position or results of operations. However, each of these matters is subject to uncertainties, and it is possible that some of these matters may be resolved unfavorably to the Company.

Item 4: Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

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PART II

The Company’s common stock is registered under the Exchange Act and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WAT”. As of February 21, 2025, the Company had 65 common stockholders of record. The Company has not declared or paid any dividends on its common stock in its past three fiscal years and does not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be made at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on restrictions and other factors the Board of Directors may deem relevant. The Company has not made any sales of unregistered equity securities in the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

Equity compensation plan information is incorporated by reference from Part III, Item 12, Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters, of this document and should be considered an integral part of this Item 5.

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Stock Price Performance Graph

The following performance graph and related information shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such filing.

The following graph compares the cumulative total return on $100 invested as of December 31, 2019 (the last day of public trading of the Company’s common stock in fiscal year 2019) through December 31, 2024 (the last day of public trading of the common stock in fiscal year 2024) in the Company’s common stock, the NYSE Market Index, the SIC Code 3826 Index and the S&P 500 Index. The return of the indices is calculated assuming reinvestment of dividends during the period presented. The Company has not paid any dividends since its IPO. The stock price performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN SINCE DECEMBER 31, 2019

AMONG WATERS CORPORATION, NYSE MARKET INDEX, SIC CODE 3826 INDEX – LABORATORY ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS AND S&P 500 INDEX

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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer

The following table provides information about purchases by the Company during the three months ended December 31, 2024 of equity securities registered by the Company under the Exchange Act (in thousands, except per share data):

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Item 6: Reserved

Item 7: Management ’ s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Business Overview

The Company has two operating segments: Waters and TA. Waters products and services primarily consist of high-performance liquid chromatography (“HPLC”), ultra-performance liquid chromatography (“UPLC” and, together with HPLC, referred to as “LC”), mass spectrometry (“MS”) and precision chemistry consumable products and related services. TA products and services primarily consist of thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instrument systems and service sales. The Company’s products are used by pharmaceutical, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety, environmental, academic and government customers. These customers use the Company’s products to detect, identify, monitor and measure the chemical, physical and biological composition of materials and to predict the suitability and stability of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water, polymers, metals and viscous liquids in various industrial, consumer goods and healthcare products. Operations of the recently acquired Wyatt business are part of the Waters operating segment.

Wyatt Acquisition

On May 16, 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of Wyatt Technology, LLC and its three operating subsidiaries, Wyatt Technology Europe GmbH, Wyatt Technology France and Wyatt Technology UK Ltd. (collectively, “Wyatt”), for a total purchase price of $1.3 billion in cash. Wyatt is a pioneer in innovative light scattering and field-flow fractionation instruments, software, accessories and services. The acquisition has expanded Waters’ portfolio and increased our exposure to large molecule applications. The Company financed this transaction with a combination of cash on its balance sheet and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The Company’s financial results for the year ended December 31, 2024 include the financial results of Wyatt for the full year, while the financial results for the year ended December 31, 2023 only included seven-and-a-half months of Wyatt’s financial results as the closing of the acquisition occurred during the second quarter of 2023.

Financial Overview

The Company’s operating results are as follows for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 (dollars in thousands, except per share data):

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The Company’s net sales were flat in 2024 as compared to 2023 and decreased 1% in 2023 as compared to 2022 as the Company’s sales growth in most major geographies was offset by a 10% and a 22% reduction in sales in China, respectively. The decline in China sales were primarily driven by lower demand for our instrument systems and chemistry products as a result of increased government regulations and lower spending by our customers due to macroeconomic conditions. Excluding China, the Company’s sales growth increased 2% and 5% in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Foreign currency translation decreased sales growth by 1% in both 2024 and 2023. Wyatt sales increased the Company’s sales growth by 1% and 3% in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Instrument system sales decreased 6% in 2024 as compared to 2023 and 7% in 2023 as compared to 2022 as a result of weaker customer demand in most geographies, driven primarily by the 15% and 30% decline in our China instrument sales, respectively. Excluding China, the Company’s instrument system sales declined 4% in 2024 and grew 1% in 2023. Wyatt’s instrument system sales added 2% and 4% to the Company’s instrument system sales growth in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Recurring revenues (combined sales of precision chemistry consumables and services) increased 5% and 6% in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Foreign currency translation decreased recurring revenues sales growth by 1% in both 2024 and 2023.

Operating income was $826 million in 2024, up from $818 million in 2023 as the cost savings from recent workforce reductions and the absence of the $26 million in severance costs associated with the workforce reduction incurred in 2023 were offset by higher annual incentive compensation, a full year of amortization associated with the Wyatt acquisition and merit increases in 2024. In addition, foreign currency translation lowered operating income by $43 million.

Operating income of $818 million in 2023 declined $55 million from the operating income of $873 million in 2022 as a result of the $26 million severance costs associated with the workforce reductions and the additional expenses associated with the Wyatt acquisition relating to purchased intangible amortization of $27 million, retention agreement costs of $19 million and due diligence costs of $13 million. These costs were partially offset by the cost savings from the workforce reductions and lower electronic components costs and freight costs. In addition, the negative effect of foreign currency translation lowered operating income by approximately $23 million during 2023.

The Company’s effective tax rates were 15.5%, 12.8% and 15.5% for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Net income per diluted share was $10.71, $10.84 and $11.73 in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The Company generated $762 million, $603 million and $612 million of net cash flow from operating activities in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in cash flows from operating activities in 2024 was driven by lower annual incentive bonus payments and an improvement in working capital in the current year. The decrease in 2023 operating cash flow was primarily a result of lower sales volumes, higher income tax payments and higher incentive compensation payments in 2023 as compared to 2022.

Net cash used in investing activities included capital expenditures related to property, plant, equipment and software capitalization of $142 million, $161 million and $176 million in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decline in 2024 is primarily due to the completion of the Company’s new manufacturing facilities. In addition, net cash used in investing activities in 2023 included $1.3 billion for the Wyatt acquisition.

In July 2024, the Company entered into a private Master Note Facility Agreement (the “Shelf Agreement”) with NYL Investors LLC (“NYL”) pursuant to which the Company may, at its option, authorize the issuance and sale of senior promissory notes (the “Shelf Notes”) up to an aggregate principal amount of $200 million. The purchase of any Shelf Notes is in the sole discretion of NYL. Any Shelf Notes sold or issued pursuant to the Shelf Agreement will mature no more than 15 years after the issuance date and will bear interest on the unpaid balance from the issuance date at the rates specified in the Shelf Agreement.

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In December 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the extension of the existing share repurchase program through January 21, 2028. The Company’s remaining authorization is $1.0 billion. The Company believes that it has the financial flexibility to fund these share repurchases, as well as to invest in research, technology and business acquisitions to further grow the Company’s sales and profits, given current cash and investment levels and debt borrowing capacity.

Results of Operations

Sales by Geography

Geographic sales information is presented below for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 (dollars in thousands):