Cerity Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 8.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,443 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $2,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 53,900 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $10,958,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 44,201 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $8,986,000 after acquiring an additional 1,546 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,208 shares of the technology company's stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $904,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 8,000 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at $674,730. The trade was a 74.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Monica Barry sold 768 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.40, for a total transaction of $188,467.20. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,236 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,530,314.40. The trade was a 10.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,768 shares of company stock valued at $3,841,417. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of WTS traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $251.00. 243,178 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 175,845. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 28.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.12. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $177.59 and a 1-year high of $260.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $245.20 and a 200-day moving average of $220.29.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The technology company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.25. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 17.59% and a net margin of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $558.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $547.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.33 EPS. Watts Water Technologies's revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This is a boost from Watts Water Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Watts Water Technologies's payout ratio is currently 23.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on WTS shares. Northcoast Research cut Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.20.

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.