Benjamin Edwards Inc. Buys New Shares in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. has invested approximately $207,000 in Watts Water Technologies, acquiring 1,014 shares during the first quarter.
• Watts Water Technologies recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.8%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Watts, with consensus seen as a "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $245.50.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,014 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WTS. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 57.3% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the technology company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 80.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 278 shares of the technology company's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.0% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 108.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 323 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of Watts Water Technologies stock traded down $5.1460 on Thursday, reaching $271.1140. The company's stock had a trading volume of 232,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,746. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $177.59 and a 52 week high of $279.16. The company has a market capitalization of $9.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.13. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $255.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.87.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.41. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.11% and a net margin of 13.63%.The company had revenue of $643.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 earnings per share. Watts Water Technologies's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Watts Water Technologies's payout ratio is presently 22.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total value of $195,682.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at $327,693.30. The trade was a 37.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 7,000 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.85, for a total value of $1,692,950.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research lowered shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $245.50.

Watts Water Technologies Company 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.