Waters (NYSE:WAT) Upgraded at Hsbc Global Res

Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price target on the stock. Rothschild Redb raised Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $390.00 target price on Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.61.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $374.67 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $22.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.16. Waters has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $390.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $342.92. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $799.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $780.05 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,295,612,000 after purchasing an additional 246,128 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 31.0% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after buying an additional 950,687 shares in the last quarter. Fundsmith LLP raised its position in shares of Waters by 9.6% in the third quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,185,898,000 after buying an additional 347,091 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 44.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $806,397,000 after buying an additional 825,723 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after buying an additional 37,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

About Waters

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.