Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Holdings Lowered by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP cut its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 69.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,933 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 15,801 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $1,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WTS. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $23,044,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,773,000. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 44,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 122.9% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,194 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $15,084,000 after acquiring an additional 40,912 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 0.3 %

Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $206.26 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $204.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.01. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $175.37 and a 52 week high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G 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 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%. Research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total value of $925,700.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of 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 upgraded shares of 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.

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