Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires 5,655 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 397.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,078 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 5,655 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $1,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WTS. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $231,000. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:WTS opened at $212.69 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $211.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $232.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. Analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid 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 dividend yield of 0.81%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Insider Activity

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 stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total transaction of $925,700.41. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WTS. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.00.

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.