Legal & General Group Plc Has $20.93 Million Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Legal & General Group Plc lessened its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 102,953 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 2,535 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.31% of Watts Water Technologies worth $20,930,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $60,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $23,044,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,773,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 632,155 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $128,527,000 after purchasing an additional 44,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 122.9% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,194 shares of the technology company's stock worth $15,084,000 after purchasing an additional 40,912 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the business'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 transaction of $925,700.41. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WTS traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $197.32. 199,559 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 168,126. The company has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $206.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Watts Water Technologies's payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WTS. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $229.00 in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.00.

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.