Waters (NYSE:WAT) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Hsbc Global Res

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

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. William Blair assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Rothschild Redb raised Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.61.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $384.61 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.90 billion, a PE ratio of 35.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $390.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $342.69. Waters has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.19. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%.The business had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $780.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Generali Investments Management Co LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 117.8% during the 4th quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc boosted its position in shares of Waters by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. O ROURKE & COMPANY Inc now owns 1,750 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Waters by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $602,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Waters by 1,662.4% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 64,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $24,413,000 after purchasing an additional 60,626 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.