Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 90.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,111 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,288 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.09% of Watts Water Technologies worth $6,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $23,044,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $9,773,000. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 632,155 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $128,527,000 after purchasing an additional 44,465 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 122.9% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,194 shares of the technology company's stock worth $15,084,000 after purchasing an additional 40,912 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 741,743 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $153,708,000 after buying an additional 30,688 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on WTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $220.00.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 8.1 %

Shares of WTS traded up $14.61 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $195.01. The stock had a trading volume of 279,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 165,443. The business's fifty day moving average is $208.26 and its 200 day moving average is $207.57. The firm has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. 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 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $232.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.79%.

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.