Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $222.00.

WTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total transaction of $925,700.41. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watts Water Technologies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 57.3% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 80.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.0% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE WTS opened at $206.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. Watts Water Technologies has a 12 month low of $175.37 and a 12 month high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $205.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.02.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. Equities research analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.79%.

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.