Leerink Partnrs Has Weak Outlook for Waters FY2026 Earnings

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Leerink Partnrs dropped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Waters in a research report issued on Thursday, July 17th. Leerink Partnrs analyst P. Souda now anticipates that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $14.24 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $14.32. The consensus estimate for Waters' current full-year earnings is $12.86 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Waters' FY2026 earnings at $14.24 EPS.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

WAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. KeyCorp upgraded Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Waters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $420.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $381.94.

Waters Trading Down 1.1%

WAT traded down $3.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $284.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 493,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 502,424. Waters has a twelve month low of $279.77 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $344.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $360.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.10.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Waters by 118.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

About Waters

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.