Waters (WAT) Up 5.4% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?

Core Viewpoint - Waters Corporation reported strong second-quarter earnings, surpassing estimates and showing year-over-year growth in both earnings and revenue, indicating positive momentum leading into the next earnings release [2][9]. Financial Performance - Non-GAAP earnings for Q2 2025 were $2.95 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.68% and reflecting a 12% increase year-over-year [2]. - Net sales reached $771.33 million, surpassing estimates by 3.63%, with a 9% increase on a reported basis and 8% on a constant currency basis year-over-year [2]. - The adjusted operating margin was 29.1%, a slight contraction of 10 basis points year-over-year [7]. Segment Performance - The Waters segment accounted for 89.3% of net sales, generating $688.8 million, up 11% year-over-year [3]. - Instruments sales (40% of net sales) were $308.4 million, increasing 5% year-over-year, while Services (38.6% of net sales) saw sales of $297.9 million, climbing 9% [4]. - Chemistry sales (21.4% of net sales) grew 17% year-over-year to $165 million [4]. Market Breakdown - The Pharmaceutical market, representing 59.9% of net sales, generated $462 million, up 11% year-over-year [5]. - The Industrial market (30.8% of net sales) reported sales of $237.7 million, a 7.3% increase year-over-year [5]. - The Academic & Government market (9.3% of net sales) remained flat year-over-year at $71.7 million [5]. Geographic Performance - Asia accounted for 34.5% of net sales with $265.9 million, up 12% year-over-year [6]. - Sales in the Americas (36.4% of net sales) were $280.7 million, increasing 2% year-over-year [6]. - Europe (29.1% of net sales) generated $224.6 million, reflecting a 14% year-over-year increase [6]. Guidance and Outlook - For Q3 2025, Waters expects non-GAAP earnings of $3.15-$3.25 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of approximately 8% to 11% [9]. - For the full year 2025, non-GAAP earnings are anticipated to be between $12.95 and $13.05 per share, reflecting a year-over-year growth of approximately 9% to 10% [10]. - Total sales growth for 2025 is projected to be in the range of 5% to 7% [10].