SG Americas Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 151.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,579 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,368 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $2,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $80,386,000. Cartenna Capital LP bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,478,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 148.3% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 277,669 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $68,276,000 after purchasing an additional 165,837 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 223.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 202,250 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $56,484,000 after purchasing an additional 139,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 34.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 469,508 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $131,124,000 after purchasing an additional 120,090 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.70, for a total value of $100,164.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $667,360.40. This trade represents a 13.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 7,500 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.04, for a total value of $2,475,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,475,300. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,674 shares of company stock valued at $9,669,838. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.1%

WTS stock opened at $288.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $308.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.23. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $177.59 and a fifty-two week high of $345.17.

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

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $339.00 price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $320.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $361.00 target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Friday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $334.11.

About Watts Water Technologies

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.