Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus "Hold": Twelve analysts cover Watts Water (eight Hold, four Buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $331.67.
• Quarterly results beat estimates: The company reported EPS of $2.62 (vs. $2.36 est.) and revenue of $625.1M (vs. $610.4M), with revenue up 15.7% year‑over‑year and a net margin of 13.98%.
• Dividend and insider activity: Watts pays a monthly dividend (recent $0.52 payment, ~2.1% yield, DPR ≈20.45%), while insiders sold roughly 29,674 shares (~$9.67M) in the last quarter and now own about 1% of the company.

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $331.6667.

WTS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $389.00 to $367.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $361.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $339.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $275.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Thursday, January 8th.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of WTS stock opened at $293.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.20. Watts Water Technologies has a 52 week low of $209.85 and a 52 week high of $345.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $303.67 and a 200-day moving average of $292.09.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The technology company reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $625.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $610.40 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.05 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Watts Water Technologies news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 7,500 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.04, for a total transaction of $2,475,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,475,300. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Elie Melhem sold 372 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.13, for a total transaction of $108,672.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,220 shares in the company, valued at $3,277,698.60. This represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 29,674 shares of company stock worth $9,669,838 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watts Water Technologies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the technology company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Watts Water Technologies

Watts Water Technologies, Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of flow control products and solutions designed to ensure the safe, efficient delivery and use of water. Founded in 1874 and headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, the company has built a reputation for engineering innovation in residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, heating, cooling and water treatment systems. Watts operates through a comprehensive portfolio of brands and product lines that address application-specific requirements in water safety, pressure regulation, flow control and filtration.

The company's product offerings span backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves, relief valves and steam traps, as well as hydronic balancing and temperature control devices for heating systems.

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