Natixis Trims Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Natixis cut its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,776 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 9,799 shares during the period. Natixis owned 0.20% of Watts Water Technologies worth $13,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 60.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 366 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake 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 worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.00.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of WTS stock traded down $3.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $206.17. 45,392 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 169,112. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $205.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $206.98. The company has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (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, sell-side analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the company'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 sale, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Company 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.