Deutsche Bank AG Grows Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,475 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 7,449 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.17% of Watts Water Technologies worth $11,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WTS. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,002 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 39,235 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $7,977,000 after purchasing an additional 3,305 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 18,641 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,790,000 after buying an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:WTS traded up $2.22 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $246.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 190,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 174,952. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.59. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $248.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.40.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The technology company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.25. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The firm had revenue of $558.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $547.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This is a boost from Watts Water Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Watts Water Technologies's payout ratio is currently 23.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total value of $925,700.41. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shashank Patel sold 8,000 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $1,960,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $674,730. This represents a 74.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,165 shares of company stock worth $3,074,168 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Northcoast Research cut shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $222.00.

Watts Water Technologies Profile

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.