Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Sold by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. lowered its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 0.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,417 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 147 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.07% of Watts Water Technologies worth $4,111,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WTS. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 4.2% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,645 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 6,424 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,178,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 30.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 338 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 34,367 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,305,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 1.5% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,695 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of WTS stock opened at $200.05 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $193.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.63. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $167.87 and a twelve month high of $219.52.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The technology company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by $0.13. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.44% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The business had revenue of $597.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $589.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.34%.

Insider Activity

In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $512,237.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,710 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.16, for a total value of $316,623.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,132,302.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $512,237.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

About Watts Water Technologies

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.