Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Sold by Fmr LLC

Fmr LLC reduced its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,714 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,366 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Watts Water Technologies worth $8,436,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 89.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 61,968 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,839,000 after acquiring an additional 29,332 shares during the period. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 14.8% during the third quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 3,197 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $662,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.8% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 38,352 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,946,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 24.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,352 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter worth $47,238,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,430 shares in the company, valued at $941,463.60. This trade represents a 26.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.10, for a total transaction of $955,377.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE WTS opened at $221.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.92. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.37 and a 1-year high of $222.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $207.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $197.81.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The company had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $541.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.04 EPS. Watts Water Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on WTS shares. Northcoast Research upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

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.