Waters (NYSE:WAT) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at HSBC

HSBC began coverage on shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $460.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $398.61.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $389.62 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $390.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $342.40. Waters has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.19. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The firm had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $780.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.93 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Waters has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.050-13.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,800,000 after buying an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $44,004,000 after acquiring an additional 5,980 shares during the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 41.9% in the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 13,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,077 shares during the last quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 46.4% during the third quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,336,000 after buying an additional 2,471 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,624,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.