Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Acquired by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,584 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 99.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 544 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Northcoast Research raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.00.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WTS opened at $215.38 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $207.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $204.66. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $232.60. The company has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.59.

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

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.