Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Position Increased by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,966 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,153 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.13% of Watts Water Technologies worth $9,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $500,804,000 after buying an additional 386,333 shares during the last quarter. Mirova raised its position in Watts Water Technologies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Mirova now owns 5,521 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 31,504 shares of the technology company's stock worth $6,405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,356 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 229,546 shares of the technology company's stock worth $46,667,000 after purchasing an additional 14,239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 30,624 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $6,224,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target 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 shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $219.00 to $229.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 0.4 %

WTS stock traded up $0.83 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $207.67. 223,470 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 169,152. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $204.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.01. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $175.37 and a fifty-two week high of $232.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. Equities research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

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.