Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Leerink Partnrs boosted their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Waters in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday, November 3rd. Leerink Partnrs analyst P. Souda now expects that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $2.45 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.43. Leerink Partnrs has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waters' current full-year earnings is $11.67 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Waters' Q2 2025 earnings at $3.02 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.94 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $14.16 EPS.
Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The firm's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.84 earnings per share.
WAT has been the topic of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Leerink Partners raised shares of Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $365.85.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Waters
Waters Price Performance
NYSE:WAT traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $386.59. The company had a trading volume of 668,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,014. The company has a market capitalization of $22.96 billion, a PE ratio of 36.90, a P/E/G ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters has a 52-week low of $241.95 and a 52-week high of $393.38. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $344.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $326.73.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 55.1% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,083,000 after acquiring an additional 5,248 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Waters by 4.3% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 443,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $152,664,000 after acquiring an additional 18,274 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth $1,786,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $10,106,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 67.5% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 10,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,574,000 after acquiring an additional 4,184 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Waters
(
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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.
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