Bessemer Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 61.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,826 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 3,371 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $1,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WTS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $60,887,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $23,044,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,773,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 632,155 shares of the technology company's stock worth $128,527,000 after purchasing 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 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,194 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $15,084,000 after buying an additional 40,912 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of WTS stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $197.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 199,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 168,273. The company has a 50 day moving average of $206.41 and a 200 day moving average of $207.03. The stock has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $232.60.

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

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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 upgraded 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.00.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total transaction of $925,700.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.