Waters (NYSE:WAT) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Key Points

• Waters Corporation reported quarterly earnings of $2.95 EPS, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.03.
• The company has a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 41.70%.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $382.40 for Waters, with ratings including ten hold, five buy, and one strong buy.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Monday. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02, Zacks reports. Waters had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 41.70%. The firm had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $745.96 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters updated its Q3 2025 guidance to 3.150-3.250 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance to 12.950-13.050 EPS.

Waters Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of WAT opened at $281.29 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $332.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $354.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.04. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.61 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 200,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $73,733,000 after acquiring an additional 6,976 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 16.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Waters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $420.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $382.40.

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.