Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from 15 covering analysts, with 9 holding, 5 buying, and 1 issuing a strong buy rating.
• The average target price set by analysts for Waters' shares is $378.73, reflecting mixed expectations about the company's performance.
• Waters recently reported earnings of $2.95 per share, exceeding expectations, with revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, marking an 8.8% year-over-year increase.

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $378.7333.

WAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $306.80 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $295.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $331.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Waters has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $745.96 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The company's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Waters by 118.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 5,200.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at $41,000. 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.

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