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

Key Points

• Rep. Kevin Hern sold $1,001–$15,000 of Waters Corporation shares on August 13 through the Hern Family Revocable Trust, amid a broader series of reported stock sales in August.
• Waters shares opened at $412.15 and were up 1.6%; the company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.05 in EPS and $1.65 billion in revenue.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $424.35 price target, although a Waters director separately sold more than $1.4 million in stock.

Representative Kevin Hern (Republican-Oklahoma) recently sold shares of Waters Corporation NYSE: WAT. In a filing disclosed on September 01st, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Waters stock on August 13th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "HERN FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST" account.

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

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies NYSE: MRSH on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Medtronic NYSE: MDT on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Home Depot NYSE: HD on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Lowe's Companies NYSE: LOW on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT on 8/21/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Veralto NYSE: VLTO on 8/21/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Honeywell Aerospace NASDAQ: HONA on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Colgate-Palmolive NYSE: CL on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Biogen NASDAQ: BIIB on 8/18/2026.

Waters Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of WAT opened at $412.15 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $426.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $390.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $350.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.95 EPS. The company's revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on WAT. Citigroup boosted their price target on Waters from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Waters from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $408.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $424.35.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caitlin John LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 43.9% in the second quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 82 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,890,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Waters by 2.3% during the first quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

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.

Waters Company Profile

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.

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