Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Invests $265,000 in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,577 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WTS. Covestor Ltd raised its stake 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Mirova bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 75.06% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.7 %

NYSE:WTS opened at $178.28 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.03. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.78 and a 1-year high of $192.93. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $184.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.80. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The technology company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $532.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $529.93 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.43% and a return on equity of 19.48%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 7.78 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 31st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WTS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $177.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $171.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $178.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Watts Water Technologies 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.