Diversified Trust Co Acquires New Stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,210 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $458,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,645 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 1.2% during the second quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 6,424 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 30.0% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 338 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.3% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 34,367 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,305,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,695 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WTS shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,755 shares in the company, valued at $512,237.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,710 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.16, for a total value of $316,623.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,132,302.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,755 shares in the company, valued at $512,237.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of WTS stock opened at $204.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $195.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.72. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $167.87 and a twelve month high of $219.52.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The technology company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $597.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $589.55 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.44% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 21.34%.

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.