Russell Investments Group Ltd. Lowers Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,265 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 4,522 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.22% of Watts Water Technologies worth $14,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 60.5% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 366 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company's stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 1.2 %

Watts Water Technologies stock traded up $2.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $200.65. The stock had a trading volume of 67,180 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,478. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $207.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.22. 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 one year low of $175.37 and a one year high of $232.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95.

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 net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. On average, analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued 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 0.86%. Watts Water Technologies's payout ratio is 19.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WTS. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research note 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 note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $240.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $222.00.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.