Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Stake Boosted by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,428 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,214 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.29% of Watts Water Technologies worth $19,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter worth $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the first quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.65, for a total value of $667,454.85. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 14,064 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,737,557.60. This trade represents a 19.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.10, for a total transaction of $955,377.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 15,635 shares in the company, valued at $3,269,278.50. This represents a 22.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WTS traded up $4.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $215.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 160,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 138,293. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.55. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $204.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $197.81. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $219.52. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WTS shares. Northcoast Research raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $200.25.

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.