Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 696 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,984 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 696 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 502.7% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 223 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WTS opened at $207.51 on Friday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $197.77. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.87 and a 12-month high of $219.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.16, for a total value of $316,623.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,132,302.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies 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.