Leerink Partnrs Weighs in on Waters’ Q1 Earnings (NYSE:WAT)

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) – Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs decreased their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for Waters in a report released on Wednesday, February 12th. Leerink Partnrs analyst P. Souda now forecasts that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $2.21 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.45. The consensus estimate for Waters’ current full-year earnings is $11.79 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Waters’ Q1 2025 earnings at $2.21 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.42 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.42 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.84 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $14.05 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $14.05 EPS.

WAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $390.40.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $376.73 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $389.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $365.09. Waters has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.95, a PEG ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 106,144.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,145,386,000 after acquiring an additional 3,084,555 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,415,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 3,349.7% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $112,928,000 after acquiring an additional 295,580 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,645,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 70.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,095,000 after acquiring an additional 271,804 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.