Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $106.59 Million Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 0.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 633,252 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 5,528 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $106,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 80.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 184 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 141.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 176 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Mirova bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $177.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $171.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.20.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 1.5 %

WTS opened at $181.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.03. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.78 and a fifty-two week high of $192.93. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $185.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The technology company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $532.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $529.93 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 13.43%. As a group, research analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 7.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 2,336 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.14, for a total transaction of $444,167.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,583,378.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 9,403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.36, for a total value of $1,771,149.08. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 17,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,278,217.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shashank Patel sold 2,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.14, for a total value of $444,167.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,583,378.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Company Profile

Watts Water Technologies, Inc 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. The company offers residential and commercial flow control and protection products, including backflow preventers, water pressure regulators, temperature and pressure relief valves, thermostatic mixing valves, and leak detection and protection products for plumbing and hot water applications.