Rep. Kevin Hern Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Representative Kevin Hern (Republican-Oklahoma) recently bought shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT). In a filing disclosed on March 06th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Waters stock on February 9th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “HERN FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST” account.

Representative Kevin Hern also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $250,001 – $500,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 12/23/2025.

Waters Trading Down 4.2%

WAT opened at $302.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $414.15. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $361.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $350.90.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 34.79% and a net margin of 20.30%.The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.10 EPS. Waters has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.300-14.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,656,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,295,612,000 after purchasing an additional 246,128 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Waters by 31.0% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,403,615,000 after purchasing an additional 950,687 shares during the period. Fundsmith LLP grew its holdings in Waters by 9.6% during the third quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,955,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,185,898,000 after purchasing an additional 347,091 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Waters by 44.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $806,397,000 after buying an additional 825,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in Waters by 1.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,676,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $934,100,000 after buying an additional 37,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $360.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.84.

About Representative Hern

Kevin Hern (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. He assumed office on November 13, 2018. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Hern (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Kevin Hern went into business as a McDonald’s franchisee in 1999. He acquired 10 McDonald’s franchises by 2012. He served on the McDonald’s National Leadership Team for 13 years, including the tax policy team, the insurance corporation, and as chairman of the economics team. From 2011 to 2015, he was chairman of the finance committee of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

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.