Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $17.63 Million Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,700 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 29,900 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Watts Water Technologies worth $17,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,345 shares of the technology company's stock worth $680,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,410 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 71,608 shares of the technology company's stock worth $14,558,000 after purchasing an additional 8,728 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 2,140 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 682 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 60.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 366 shares of the technology company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased 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 shares of 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 given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $222.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the company'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 sale, the insider now owns 10,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

NYSE WTS traded down $0.13 on Friday, hitting $197.32. 199,559 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 168,126. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $175.37 and a 52 week high of $232.60. The stock has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $206.96 and a 200-day moving average of $207.09.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. Analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

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

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.