SG Americas Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 264.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,080 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,410 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $1,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $68,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 392 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

WTS traded down $0.88 on Friday, reaching $206.40. The stock had a trading volume of 150,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,769. The business's 50-day moving average price is $209.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $222.70. The company has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.93.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $541.83 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. Watts Water Technologies's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.04 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.65, for a total value of $667,454.85. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 14,064 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,737,557.60. This represents a 19.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert J. Pagano, Jr. sold 20,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.20, for a total value of $4,415,882.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 176,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,356,749. This trade represents a 10.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.