Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $220.00.

Several research analysts have recently commented on WTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Northcoast Research upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watts Water Technologies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $68,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 366 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $218.14 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $208.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $203.62. Watts Water Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $175.37 and a fifty-two week high of $232.60. The firm has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.93.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 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.