Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 13,012 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 521,206 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 13,012 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.56% of Watts Water Technologies worth $145,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 31.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 258 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 138.4% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 474.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 339 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $126,000. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.8%

WTS stock opened at $306.17 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.49. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $177.59 and a 1-year high of $345.17. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $306.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $287.51.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The technology company reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $625.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $610.40 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.55% and a net margin of 13.98%.Watts Water Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.05 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WTS. Zacks Research cut shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $267.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $361.00 price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, HSBC began coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.11.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, CEO Robert J. Pagano, Jr. sold 16,066 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.31, for a total value of $5,258,562.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 191,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,582,326.62. The trade was a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Virginia A. Halloran sold 605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.78, for a total value of $167,451.90. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 13,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,173.36. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,196 shares of company stock worth $9,514,741. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Profile

Watts Water Technologies, Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of flow control products and solutions designed to ensure the safe, efficient delivery and use of water. Founded in 1874 and headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, the company has built a reputation for engineering innovation in residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, heating, cooling and water treatment systems. Watts operates through a comprehensive portfolio of brands and product lines that address application-specific requirements in water safety, pressure regulation, flow control and filtration.

The company’s product offerings span backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves, relief valves and steam traps, as well as hydronic balancing and temperature control devices for heating systems.