Analysts Issue Forecasts for Waters' Q1 Earnings (NYSE:WAT)

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) - Equities researchers at KeyCorp issued their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Waters in a research note issued on Monday, March 31st. KeyCorp analyst P. Knight expects that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $2.20 for the quarter. KeyCorp currently has a "Overweight" rating and a $460.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waters' current full-year earnings is $12.86 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Waters' Q2 2025 earnings at $2.88 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.23 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.45 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $13.83 EPS.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.31.

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Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT traded down $17.97 on Tuesday, hitting $344.67. 1,014,485 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 459,213. The business's fifty day moving average is $384.62 and its 200 day moving average is $373.38. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $20.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 129.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans.