Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) Stock Price

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) had its target price lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $218.00 to $219.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the technology company’s stock.

WTS has been the topic of several other research reports. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.00.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WTS opened at $220.91 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $208.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $203.29. Watts Water Technologies has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $232.60. The firm has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 18.49%. Equities research analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Institutional Trading of Watts Water Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 977,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $202,425,000 after buying an additional 8,314 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 741,743 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $153,708,000 after buying an additional 30,688 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 632,155 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $128,527,000 after buying an additional 44,465 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 60.3% in the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 520,189 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $107,778,000 after buying an additional 195,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 323,007 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $65,667,000 after buying an additional 19,598 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

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.