Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Purchased by Boston Partners

Boston Partners raised its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 632,155 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 44,465 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned about 1.90% of Watts Water Technologies worth $128,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,238 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,085,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 42,655 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,838,000 after buying an additional 1,631 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 5,879 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,218,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 18,816 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,898,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This trade represents 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. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.0 %

WTS stock opened at $211.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.38, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $210.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.11. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $175.37 and a one year high of $232.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WTS. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Finally, 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 research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.00.

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.