Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Stock Position Trimmed by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 97.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 266 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 10,589 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $55,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 30.0% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 338 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter valued at about $68,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 76.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 394 shares of the technology company's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE WTS traded up $1.67 during trading on Monday, reaching $203.69. 187,198 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 148,613. The company has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.92. The business's 50-day moving average price is $208.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.37 and a twelve month high of $222.70.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $541.83 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.04 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $220.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 2,607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.72, for a total transaction of $554,561.04. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 11,457 shares in the company, valued at $2,437,133.04. This represents a 18.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $331,318.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at $941,463.60. This trade represents a 26.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is 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.