Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Decreases Stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 97.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 266 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 10,589 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $55,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WTS. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 30.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 338 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 76.7% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 394 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.10, for a total value of $955,377.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 15,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,269,278.50. The trade was a 22.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert J. Pagano, Jr. sold 20,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.20, for a total value of $4,415,882.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 176,045 shares in the company, valued at $37,356,749. The trade was a 10.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on WTS shares. Northcoast Research upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.50.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE WTS opened at $202.02 on Monday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $222.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $198.64. The company has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The firm had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $541.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.62%.

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.