XTX Topco Ltd Acquires Shares of 2,579 Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,579 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $534,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter worth about $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert J. Pagano, Jr. sold 20,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.20, for a total transaction of $4,415,882.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $331,318.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $941,463.60. This trade represents a 26.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock valued at $6,924,594. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:WTS traded down $2.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $217.91. The stock had a trading volume of 143,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,352. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.37 and a twelve month high of $222.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $198.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.92.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $543.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $541.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WTS. Northcoast Research raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Watts Water Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Watts Water Technologies 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.