8,655 Shares in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS Acquired by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 8,655 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,388,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, Director Joseph Noonan sold 3,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.72, for a total transaction of $1,291,078.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:WTS opened at $363.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.13. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $260.00 and a 1 year high of $394.54. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $362.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $328.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by $0.32. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 19.16%. The firm had revenue of $763.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.99 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.09 earnings per share. Watts Water Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 12.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WTS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $358.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $350.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $374.00 target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 7th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $405.00 price target on Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $367.70.

Watts Water Technologies Company Profile

Watts Water Technologies, Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of flow control products and solutions designed to ensure the safe, efficient delivery and use of water. Founded in 1874 and headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, the company has built a reputation for engineering innovation in residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, heating, cooling and water treatment systems. Watts operates through a comprehensive portfolio of brands and product lines that address application-specific requirements in water safety, pressure regulation, flow control and filtration.

The company’s product offerings span backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves, relief valves and steam traps, as well as hydronic balancing and temperature control devices for heating systems.