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Waters (WAT) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

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For the quarter ended December 2023, Waters (WAT - Free Report) reported revenue of $819.47 million, down 4.6% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $3.62, compared to $3.84 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $813.73 million, representing a surprise of +0.71%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +1.69%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $3.56.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Waters performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

  • Net Sales- Water Division: $716.93 million versus $724.69 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -5% change.
  • Net Sales- TA Division: $102.54 million compared to the $87.89 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -1.2% year over year.
  • Net Sales- Markets-Academic & Government: $95.53 million compared to the $96.90 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -2.4% year over year.
  • Net sales- Markets-Industrial: $260.25 million compared to the $244.75 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -2.9% year over year.
  • Net Sales- Markets-Pharmaceutical: $463.70 million compared to the $475.50 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -5.9% year over year.
View all Key Company Metrics for Waters here>>>

Shares of Waters have returned +4.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +5.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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