Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS Shares Acquired by Jane Street Group LLC

Key Points

• Jane Street Group LLC significantly increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 210.6% in the first quarter, now owning 57,901 shares valued at approximately $11.8 million.
• Watts Water Technologies reported strong quarterly earnings with an EPS of $3.09, surpassing analyst expectations and indicating a revenue increase of 7.8% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, representing a 0.8% yield, to be paid to shareholders of record on August 29th.

Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 210.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,901 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,260 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Watts Water Technologies worth $11,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 2.0% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 4,172 shares of the technology company's stock worth $851,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 57.3% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the technology company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 2.7% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,207 shares of the technology company's stock worth $653,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 45.0% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the technology company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 1.5% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,595 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WTS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Northcoast Research downgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $245.50.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

Watts Water Technologies stock traded down $2.34 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $275.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 111,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,461. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's fifty day moving average is $261.67 and its 200 day moving average is $233.76. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $177.59 and a 1-year high of $285.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.59.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $643.70 million for 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued 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%.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total transaction of $195,682.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at $327,693.30. This trade represents a 37.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Profile

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.