Waters Stock Gains on Earnings & Sales Beat in Q3, Raised View

Waters Corporation WAT has reported third-quarter 2024 non-GAAP earnings of $2.93 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.33%. The company had registered earnings of $2.84 in the year-ago quarter, decreasing 3.2% on a year-over-year basis.Net sales of $740.3 million topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $711.7 million. The figure increased 4% on a reported and a constant-currency basis from the year-ago quarter’s readings.Waters saw a strong third quarter, with sales exceeding the high end of its guidance range. Growth returned across all three major regions — Asia, Americas and Europe — driven by robust demand in the Pharma and Industrial markets.Liquid chromatography sales rebounded, marking growth in these key end markets.Waters Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise  Waters Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Waters Corporation QuoteWAT’s Top Line in DetailWaters’ net sales figure can be categorized in four ways:Operating Segment: WAT operates under two organized segments — Waters and TA.The Waters segment (88.6% of net sales) generated sales worth $655.7 million, up 4.2% year over year. Sales in the TA segment were $84.7 million (11.4%), reflecting 2.8% year-over-year growth.Products & Services: The division comprises three segments —Instruments, Services and Chemistry.Instruments sales (43.6% of net sales) were $323.1 million, increasing 1.1% on a year-over-year basis.Services sales (37.6% of net sales) worth $278.3 million, climbing 5.6% year over year.Chemistry sales (18.8% of net sales) were $138.9 million, growing 8% year over year.The Services and Chemistry segments jointly generated recurring revenues of $417.2 million, up 6.4% year over year.Markets: Waters serves three end markets — Pharmaceutical, Industrial, and Governmental & Academic.The Pharmaceutical market (58.1% of net sales) generated sales of $430.1 million, which increased 2% on a year-over-year basis.The Industrial market’s (30.8% of net sales) sales were $227.7 million, up 8.7% year over year.The Governmental & Academic market (11.1% of net sales) generated $82.4 million in sales, which rose 2.1% year over year.Geography: Waters’ operating regions include Asia, the Americas and Europe.Asia (33.9% of net sales) generated $251.3 million in sales, up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis.Sales in the Americas (37.7% of net sales) were $279.1 million, increasing 1.3% year over year.Europe (28% of net sales) generated $209.8 million in sales, up 6% year over year.WAT’s Operating DetailsIn the third quarter, non-GAAP selling and administrative expenses were $166 million, up 6.6% year over year. As a percentage of net sales, the figure expanded 50 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis.Research and development spending of $44.7 million increased 0.4% year over year. As a percentage of net sales, the figure expanded 40 bps year over year.The adjusted operating margin was 30.8%, which contracted 80 bps year over year.Waters’ Balance Sheet & Cash FlowAs of Sept. 28, 2024, cash, cash equivalents and investments were $331.5 million, down from $327.4 million as of June 29, 2024.Waters generated cash from operations of $204.6 million in the reported quarter, up from $54.5 million in the prior quarter.WAT recorded a free cash flow of $179 million in the third quarter.WAT Raised Q4 & 2024 GuidanceFor the fourth quarter of 2024, Waters expects non-GAAP earnings of $3.90-$4.10 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $4.08, down a couple of cents over the past 30 days, indicating 12.71% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.Management anticipates organic sales to grow 5-7% on a constant-currency basis. WAT projects 1.7% lower sales growth due to unfavorable foreign exchange fluctuations.On a reported basis, total sales growth is predicted to be 3.3-5.3%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $857.72 million, suggesting 4.67% year-over-year growth.For 2024, Waters anticipates non-GAAP earnings of $11.67-$11.87 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $11.63, up 3 cents over the past 30 days, indicating a 1.02% decline from the figure reported in 2023.Waters projects 2024 organic sales to decline 0.9-0.3% on a constant-currency basis. The Wyatt transaction is expected to increase sales growth by 1.3%. WAT projects sales growth to be affected by 1.2% due to unfavorable foreign exchange fluctuations.On a reported basis, total sales are suggested to decline 0.8-0.2%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.92 billion, indicating a year-over-year decline of 1.32%.Waters Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderCurrently, Waters carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical market sector are Amedisys AMED, BeiGene BGNE and Fresenius Medical Care AG FMS, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Amedisys shares have gained 0.5% in the year-to-date period. AMED’s long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 10.96%.BeiGene shares have risen 13.2% in the year-to-date period. The long-term earnings growth rate for BGNE is anticipated at 47.51%.Fresenius Medical shares have lost 5.1% in the year-to-date period. FMS’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated to be 13.59%.Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amedisys, Inc. (AMED): Free Stock Analysis Report Waters Corporation (WAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS): Free Stock Analysis Report BeiGene, Ltd. (BGNE): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks