Leerink Partnrs Has Negative Outlook for Waters Q1 Earnings

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) – Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs reduced their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Waters in a research report issued on Wednesday, February 12th. Leerink Partnrs analyst P. Souda now expects that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $2.21 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate 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.

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

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $390.40.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $369.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $389.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $364.87. The stock has a market cap of $21.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.28, a P/E/G ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WAT. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 9.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.4% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,782 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Waters by 34.7% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in Waters by 2.0% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 6,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,249,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.