Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 319,703 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,296 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.96% of Watts Water Technologies worth $64,996,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTS. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $231,000. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $233,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.00.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE WTS opened at $208.91 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.37 and a 1-year high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $209.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $206.55.

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

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total transaction of $925,700.41. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.