Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 94.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,624 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,896 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $17,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 10.2% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,887 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 80.2% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,000 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 8.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,878 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,163,000 after acquiring an additional 7,537 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the second quarter worth $219,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 43.2% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,734 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $426,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 1.2%

WTS opened at $299.49 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $297.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.72. The company has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.40, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.20. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $235.14 and a one year high of $345.17.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The technology company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $677.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $638.13 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 14.32%.Watts Water Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.37 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.70, for a total value of $100,164.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,212 shares in the company, valued at $667,360.40. This represents a 13.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Elie Melhem sold 2,257 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.00, for a total value of $679,357.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,963 shares in the company, valued at $2,697,863. This represents a 20.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,840 shares of company stock worth $3,477,205 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WTS. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $318.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Watts Water Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research lowered Watts Water Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $358.00 target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $329.44.

About Watts Water Technologies

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.