UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,341 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,875 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.27% of Watts Water Technologies worth $18,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 105.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,810 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $10,942,000 after buying an additional 27,138 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 468.1% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,039 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,152 shares during the period. Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,037,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 122.9% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,194 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $15,084,000 after purchasing an additional 40,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the technology company's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Watts Water Technologies Price Performance
NYSE:WTS traded down $3.09 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $239.03. 158,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 175,682. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $215.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $212.06. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $248.17. The company has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.
Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The technology company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.25. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. The firm had revenue of $558.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $547.58 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. 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. Watts Water Technologies's payout ratio is 23.83%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have issued reports on WTS. Northcoast Research downgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $222.00.
View Our Latest Analysis on Watts Water Technologies
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 2,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $674,730. This trade represents a 74.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of Watts Water Technologies 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58% 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 valued at $3,074,168 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.
About Watts Water Technologies
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Free Report)
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.
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