London, U.K.-based Pentair plc (PNR) is a water treatment company, providing various water solutions, operating through Flow, Water Solutions, and Pool segments. With a market cap of nearly $16 billion, Pentair delivers a range of smart and sustainable water solutions to homes, businesses and industries enabling its customers to access clean water, reduce water consumption, as well as recover and reuse it.
While Pentair has notably outpaced the broader market over the past year, it has observed a downturn recently and underperformed the market in 2025. PNR stock has soared 29% over the past 52 weeks and dipped 3.9% on a YTD basis, compared to the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 22.3% surge over the past year and 4% gains in 2025.
Zooming in further, PNR stock has also outpaced the Invesco Global Water ETF’s (PIO) 4.6% gains over the past year, while underperforming PIO’s 5.6% surge in 2025.
Despite delivering better-than-expected financials, Pentair’s stock prices dropped 4.3% after the release of its Q4 results on Feb. 4. Although the company reported a slight 1.2% drop in net sales compared to the year-ago quarter to $972.9 million, it was anticipated and in fact, the company surpassed Street’s topline expectations by a notable margin. Meanwhile, its adjusted earnings of $1.08 per share also exceeded analysts’ consensus estimates by 5.9%.
However, the company’s fiscal 2025 topline growth guidance range of 0% to 2% and adjusted EPS growth guidance range of 7% to 11%, missed the Street’s expectations and unsettled investor confidence.
For the current fiscal 2025, ending in December, analysts expect PNR to deliver a 10.2% year-over-year growth in EPS to $4.77. And the company has a robust earnings surprise history. It has surpassed the Street’s bottom-line estimates in each of the past four quarters.
Among the 19 analysts covering the PNR stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on 11 “Strong Buy,” one “Moderate Buy,” and seven “Hold” ratings.
This configuration is slightly more bullish than a month ago when only 10 analysts gave “Strong Buy” recommendations.
On Feb. 5, Baird analyst Michael Halloran reiterated a “Neutral” rating on PNR, while raising the price target to $114.
PNR’s mean price target of $114.33 represents a 18.2% premium to current price levels, while its street-high target of $125 indicates a 29.2% upside potential.
On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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