Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $395.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Waters by 65.4% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $391.24 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.96, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $390.58 and a 200-day moving average of $342.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53. Waters has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $780.05 million. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. Waters has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.050-13.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Waters

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.