Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires Shares of 13,255 Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 13,255 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,259,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WTS. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 18.5% during the second quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 77,892 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $19,164,000 after buying an additional 12,148 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 210.6% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 57,901 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $11,807,000 after acquiring an additional 39,260 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 14,676 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,993,000 after acquiring an additional 2,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 321,343 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $65,528,000 after acquiring an additional 1,640 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays increased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $264.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 6,814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.32, for a total value of $1,855,588.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,800. This represents a 31.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,128,936. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE WTS opened at $273.98 on Friday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $177.59 and a one year high of $287.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $274.96 and its 200-day moving average is $264.69.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The technology company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $611.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $576.20 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.31% and a net margin of 13.79%.Watts Water Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.47%.

About Watts Water Technologies

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.