Waters (NYSE:WAT) Updates Q4 2024 Earnings Guidance

Waters (NYSE:WAT) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2024 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 3.900-4.100 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 4.090. The company issued revenue guidance of $846.5 million-$862.9 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $853.3 million. Waters also updated its FY 2024 guidance to 11.670-11.870 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on WAT. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays lifted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Cfra set a $389.00 target price on Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.85.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $386.28. The stock had a trading volume of 612,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,134. Waters has a 12-month low of $241.95 and a 12-month high of $391.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $342.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $325.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.10. The stock has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 0.97.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.84 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Waters will post 11.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company Profile

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.