Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 1,765 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,332 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,765 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.17% of Watts Water Technologies worth $11,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 977,000 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $202,425,000 after purchasing an additional 8,314 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 741,743 shares of the technology company's stock worth $153,708,000 after buying an additional 30,688 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 632,155 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $128,527,000 after buying an additional 44,465 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 323,007 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $65,667,000 after acquiring an additional 19,598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 319,703 shares of the technology company's stock worth $64,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,296 shares in the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 1.6 %

WTS traded up $3.10 on Tuesday, reaching $198.71. 40,633 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 166,039. The company has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $175.37 and a one year high of $232.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $207.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.28.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.79%.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total transaction of $925,700.41. Following the transaction, the insider now 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WTS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of 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 initiated coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $240.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $220.00.

Watts Water Technologies 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.