Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Decreases Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL trimmed its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 14.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,664 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 12,936 shares during the quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned approximately 0.22% of Watts Water Technologies worth $15,179,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company's stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $222.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction of $925,700.41. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares in the company, valued at $2,204,038.57. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

WTS stock traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $210.50. The company had a trading volume of 180,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 169,298. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $204.41 and a 200-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. The company has a market capitalization of $7.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $232.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 EPS 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, research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

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.