Deutsche Bank AG Has $15.45 Million Stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 36.6%, owning approximately 0.23% of the company valued at about $15.45 million.
• Watts Water Technologies reported earnings of $3.09 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.68.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.8%.

Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 36.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,779 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,304 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.23% of Watts Water Technologies worth $15,453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WTS. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,463,375 shares of the technology company's stock worth $500,804,000 after purchasing an additional 386,333 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 85.1% in the fourth quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 422,026 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $85,798,000 after buying an additional 194,033 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $23,044,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 36,711.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 56,690 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $11,560,000 after acquiring an additional 56,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 398,341 shares of the technology company's stock worth $80,983,000 after purchasing an additional 40,738 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WTS shares. Northcoast Research cut shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $245.50.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:WTS traded down $3.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $271.23. 156,366 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,480. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $177.59 and a fifty-two week high of $278.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.12. The firm has a market cap of $9.05 billion, a PE ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.13.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $643.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $612.15 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 18.11%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total value of $195,682.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at $327,693.30. This trade represents a 37.39% decrease in their position. 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.