Vest Financial LLC Grows Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,698 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 3,753 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.06% of Watts Water Technologies worth $4,844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,470,140 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $503,711,000 after purchasing an additional 6,765 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 43.3% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 905,783 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $184,708,000 after purchasing an additional 273,628 shares during the last quarter. Mirova US LLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 748,328 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $184,006,000 after purchasing an additional 19,344 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 324,669 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $66,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 321,343 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $65,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,640 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE WTS opened at $270.72 on Tuesday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $177.59 and a one year high of $287.89. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $247.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.03 billion, a PE ratio of 29.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.13.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $643.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.15 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 18.11%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 29th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 22.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WTS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $253.80.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total transaction of $195,682.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $327,693.30. The trade was a 37.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.