Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 363 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 29.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,592 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $330,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 60.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 520,189 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $107,778,000 after purchasing an additional 195,778 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1,070.6% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 209,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,324,000 after acquiring an additional 191,146 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 171.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 139,100 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $25,507,000 after acquiring an additional 87,900 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,794,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 79.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 106,183 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $22,000,000 after purchasing an additional 47,123 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WTS opened at $218.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.55. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $221.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $205.19 and a 200 day moving average of $197.68.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $543.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $541.83 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.04 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is 20.62%.

Insider Activity

In other Watts Water Technologies news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.10, for a total value of $955,377.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 15,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,269,278.50. The trade was a 22.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $331,318.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,430 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,463.60. The trade was a 26.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,974 shares of company stock valued at $6,924,594. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on WTS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Northcoast Research upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.25.

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.