Quilter Plc Boosts Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Quilter Plc lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,467 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,799 shares during the period. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $5,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. Perpetual Ltd raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 46,721 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $9,931,000 after acquiring an additional 4,068 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the first quarter valued at $1,366,000. Norden Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1,826.3% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 59,310 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,606,000 after buying an additional 56,231 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $125,904,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1,968.3% in the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,509 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $958,000 after acquiring an additional 4,291 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WTS. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:WTS opened at $194.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.50. The firm has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.89. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $167.87 and a fifty-two week high of $219.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $197.73.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The technology company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $597.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $589.55 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.44% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 21.34%.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.16, for a total value of $316,623.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,132,302.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $512,237.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,710 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.16, for a total value of $316,623.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,132,302.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Watts Water Technologies

Watts Water Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, supplies products and solutions that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through, and out of buildings in the commercial, industrial, and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.