Rothschild & Co Redburn Initiates Coverage on Waters (NYSE:WAT)

Research analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn’s price target points to a potential upside of 18.01% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector outperform” rating and set a $465.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $377.56.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $330.48 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.04. The business’s 50-day moving average is $299.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.44. Waters has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $771.33 million during 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 for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its position in Waters by 0.8% during the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 9,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,842,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.9% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 15,118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,533,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 37.4% in the third quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd now owns 1,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 9.1% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 47,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,164,000 after purchasing an additional 3,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at about $1,624,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.