Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Acquired by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 141.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,105 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,163 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $1,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $231,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 105.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,810 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $10,942,000 after purchasing an additional 27,138 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 3.4% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,272 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 4.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 741,743 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $153,708,000 after purchasing an additional 30,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,390 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,117,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research report on Wednesday. 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 report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $222.00.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:WTS traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $197.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 199,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 168,273. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.37 and a 12 month high of $232.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $206.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.03. The company has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) 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 fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total value of $925,700.41. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.