Driven by strong pharma sales, the company's revenues rose to $687 million from $629 million in Q4 2016, besting the consensus analyst estimate of $669 million.
Developed by researchers at the University of Michigan, the software could help drive uptake of ion mobility mass spec within the top-down proteomics field.
The company entered an agreement with JP Morgan Chase that provides a five-year unsecured $300 million term loan and a $1.5 billion revolving facility.
Waters experienced some sluggishness in the US market in the quarter, and the firm noted that its pharma business, in particular, had seen a shift toward Europe.
Waters has obtained a non-exclusive license to the technology, which allows researchers to create internal standard calibration curves for their assays.
As researchers continue to explore uses for DDA and DIA workflows, mass spec advances are enabling both methods to generate larger and more complete data sets.
The Associated Press reports that an ethicist predicts that prenatal diagnosis and other advances will lead to more choices being available to prospective parents.
