Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Sold by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc cut its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 11.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,109,533 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 148,741 shares during the period. Watts Water Technologies comprises about 1.4% of Impax Asset Management Group plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned approximately 3.33% of Watts Water Technologies worth $225,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WTS. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,950 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,616,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,410 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,207 shares of the technology company's stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,208 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on WTS shares. Northcoast Research cut shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price 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 given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.20.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.85, for a total transaction of $1,692,950.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Monica Barry sold 768 shares of the business'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. This trade represents a 10.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,768 shares of company stock valued at $3,841,417 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 1.0%

WTS stock traded up $2.41 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $255.10. 94,847 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 173,609. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 1.12. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $255.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $237.82 and a 200-day moving average of $216.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.46.

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

Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This is an increase from Watts Water Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.83%.

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.