Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 27,983 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Hsbc Holdings PLC decreased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 32.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 59,308 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 27,983 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.18% of Watts Water Technologies worth $12,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 60.5% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 366 shares of the technology company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,204,038.57. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE WTS traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $207.67. The company had a trading volume of 223,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 169,152. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $204.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.01. The company has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $175.37 and a one year high of $232.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. On average, equities analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTS has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $222.00.

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.