Waters Corp
About: Water sells liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis tools. These analytical instruments provide essential information on various products, such as their molecular structures and physical properties, to help clients enhance the health and well-being of end users. As a percentage of sales in 2023, Waters generated 57% from biopharmaceutical customers, 31% from industrial clients, and 12% from academic/government institutions.
Employees: 7,600
0
Funds holding %
of 7,398 funds
0
Analysts bullish %
of 8 analysts
Fund manager confidence
Based on 2024 Q4 regulatory filings by fund managers ($100M+ AUM)
137% more first-time investments, than exits
New positions opened: 123 | Existing positions closed: 52
128% more call options, than puts
Call options by funds: $31.8M | Put options by funds: $14M
15% more repeat investments, than reductions
Existing positions increased: 263 | Existing positions reduced: 228
9% more funds holding
Funds holding: 683 [Q3] → 742 (+59) [Q4]
7.05% more ownership
Funds ownership: 94.32% [Q3] → 101.37% (+7.05%) [Q4]
6% more capital invested
Capital invested by funds: $20.1B [Q3] → $21.4B (+$1.27B) [Q4]
25% less funds holding in top 10
Funds holding in top 10: 8 [Q3] → 6 (-2) [Q4]
Research analyst outlook
8 Wall Street Analysts provided 1 year price targets over the past 3 months
Low target
$390
10%
upside
Avg. target
$420
18%
upside
High target
$460
29%
upside
8 analyst ratings
4 positive
50%
4 neutral
50%
0 negative
0%
Keybanc Paul Knight 22% 1-year accuracy 2 / 9 met price target | 29%upside $460 | Overweight Upgraded | 31 Mar 2025 |
Baird Catherine Ramsey 31% 1-year accuracy 5 / 16 met price target | 14%upside $407 | Outperform Upgraded | 26 Mar 2025 |
JP Morgan Rachel Vatnsdal 44% 1-year accuracy 7 / 16 met price target | 10%upside $390 | Neutral Maintained | 6 Mar 2025 |
Scotiabank Sung Ji Nam 12% 1-year accuracy 3 / 25 met price target | 26%upside $450 | Sector Outperform Upgraded | 13 Feb 2025 |
Wells Fargo Brandon Couillard 14% 1-year accuracy 3 / 21 met price target | 18%upside $420 | Overweight Maintained | 13 Feb 2025 |
Financial journalist opinion
Based on 3 articles about WAT published over the past 30 days
Neutral
PRNewsWire
7 hours ago
Waters Expands Alliance iS Bio HPLC Product Line with Photodiode Array Detector to Enhance Spectral Insights for Biopharma Development & QC
News Summary Boosts out-of-the-box sensitivity by up to 80 times with MaxPeakTM Premier columns.1 Delivers over threefold improvements in day-to-day reproducibility2 and decreases carryover by up to two orders of magnitude.3 Reduces common user errors by up to 40%.4 MILFORD, Mass. , April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) today announced the expansion of the Alliance™ iS Bio HPLC product line with integrated photodiode array (PDA) detection, advancing the capabilities of the next-generation intelligent HPLC platform designed for development and Quality Control (QC) laboratories.
Negative
Investors Business Daily
5 days ago
How Tariffs Are Rocking The 'Bubblegum And Shoestring' Medical Supply Chain
Tariff uncertainty has cast a pall over medical stocks. Re-shoring is possible, but expensive, leaving them in a "wait-and-see" pattern.
Neutral
PRNewsWire
3 weeks ago
Waters Corporation to Present at the Leerink Partners Global Healthcare Conference
MILFORD, Mass. , March 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) announced that Udit Batra Ph.D.
Negative
Seeking Alpha
1 month ago
Waters Corporation: Instrument Replacement Cycle Momentum, But Valuation Is A Concern
Waters Corp reported better-than-expected Q4'24 and FY'24 results, driven by strong performance in academia, government, and pharma segments, despite FX headwinds impacting gross margins. The company anticipates continued growth in 2025, with projected revenue growth between 4.5% and 7%, supported by emerging markets like India and high-growth areas like GLP-1 and PFAS testing. Risks include elevated valuations and limited opportunities for cash deployment, making buybacks less attractive; current valuation appears challenging compared to historical averages and peers.
Neutral
Zacks Investment Research
1 month ago
WAT Earnings & Sales Surpass Estimates in Q4, Shares Rise
WAT's fourth-quarter 2024 results reflect strong pharma growth and robust gains across all regions. However, forex headwinds hurt.
Neutral
Seeking Alpha
1 month ago
Waters Corporation (WAT) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT ) Q4 2024 Earnings Conference Call February 12, 2025 8:00 AM ET Company Participants Caspar Tudor - Head of Investor Relations Udit Batra - President & Chief Executive Officer Amol Chaubal - Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants Tycho Peterson - Jefferies Vijay Kumar - Evercore ISI Puneet Souda - Leerink Eve Burstein - Bernstein Brandon Couillard - Wells Fargo Dan Arias - Stifel Dan Brennan - TD Cowen Catherine Schulte - Baird Operator Good morning. Welcome to the Waters Corporation Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results Conference Call.
Positive
Zacks Investment Research
1 month ago
Waters (WAT) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
Waters (WAT) came out with quarterly earnings of $4.10 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.02 per share. This compares to earnings of $3.62 per share a year ago.
Neutral
PRNewsWire
1 month ago
Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2024 Financial Results
Highlights Fourth Quarter 2024 Sales of $873 million exceeded high-end of guidance range, grew 6% as reported and 8% in constant currency Instruments grew 8% and recurring revenue grew 9% in constant currency, as growth accelerated across all three reported regions Pharma grew 10% in constant currency, reflecting stronger-than-expected year-end spending dynamics and broad-based growth across the Americas, Europe, and Asia GAAP EPS of $3.88; non-GAAP EPS of $4.10 grew 13% as strong operational performance and better-than-expected sales volume offset foreign exchange headwinds Full-Year 2024 Sales exceeded guidance at $2,958 million, flat as reported and in organic constant currency GAAP operating income margin of 27.9%; operational excellence drove adjusted operating income margin expansion to 31.0%, effectively neutralizing the challenges posed by foreign exchange headwinds GAAP EPS of $10.71; non-GAAP EPS of $11.86 grew 1% versus 2023, which includes a 5% impact due to foreign exchange headwinds Generated $762 million in operating cash flow; $744 million in free cash flow, representing 25% of full-year sales, and a free cash flow to adjusted net income ratio of 105% MILFORD, Mass. , Feb. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024.
Neutral
PRNewsWire
1 month ago
Waters ElectroForce Apex 1 Instrument Offers Increased Versatility, Simplicity, and Speed to Mechanical Testing of Advanced Polymer Materials
News Summary: Offers increased versatility and data-driven insights with 43% greater motor stroke range (100 mm),1 expanding testing to more materials across diverse industries. Improved dynamic performance completes fatigue testing up to 30% faster than the competition,2 increasing the speed of product development and validation.
Negative
Seeking Alpha
2 months ago
Weighing In On Waters Corporation: Facing A Valuation Headwind
Today, we take a more in-depth look at Waters Corporation, which provides analytical workflow solutions, primarily to the Pharma and Industrial industries. WAT stock has surged 35% since July lows, but analysts are growing increasingly cautious due to valuation concerns, with mixed ratings and tepid price targets. From a historical perspective, the equity now trades at the very top of its historical P/S and P/E ratios.
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