Prudential Financial Inc. Has $553,000 Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Prudential Financial Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,719 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 465 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WTS. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter worth $231,000. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 1.6 %

Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $179.94 on Wednesday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $175.37 and a 52 week high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $208.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.74.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. Equities research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 19.79%.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of Watts Water Technologies 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,204,038.57. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.00.

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.