Benjamin Edwards Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,014 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. acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,014 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

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

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

WTS traded down $1.5390 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $276.6610. The company had a trading volume of 80,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,436. The business has a 50-day moving average of $254.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.09. 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 1 year low of $177.59 and a 1 year high of $279.16. The company has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.13.

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

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.85, for a total value of $1,692,950.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $327,693.30. This trade represents a 37.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Northcoast Research cut Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research 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 company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $245.50.

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.