Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS Shares Acquired by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 214.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 909 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WTS. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,810 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.0% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 10.6% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 96,974 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $19,775,000 after buying an additional 9,308 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $106,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 108.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 323 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of WTS opened at $283.07 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a PE ratio of 30.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $275.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $245.23. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $177.59 and a 12-month high of $287.89.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $643.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.15 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 18.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total transaction of $195,682.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $327,693.30. This trade represents a 37.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $253.80.

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.