Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Boosts Stock Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,550 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $315,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 977,000 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $202,425,000 after purchasing an additional 8,314 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 741,743 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $153,708,000 after purchasing an additional 30,688 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 323,007 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $65,667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,598 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Watts Water Technologies by 3.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 316,407 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $65,556,000 after acquiring an additional 9,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Watts Water Technologies by 4.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 267,439 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $55,411,000 after acquiring an additional 12,159 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WTS opened at $206.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $209.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65. 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 cap of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

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.