Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Sold by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 10,000 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $2,126,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the first quarter worth $26,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 174 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2,857.1% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 207 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 502.7% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 223 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTS has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $212.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $209.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.50.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Watts Water Technologies stock traded up $6.97 during trading on Thursday, hitting $202.00. 196,642 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,243. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $199.88. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $167.87 and a 52-week high of $219.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.20, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.90.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The technology company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.22. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The company had revenue of $570.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $547.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.7 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a $0.43 dividend. This is a boost from Watts Water Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 21.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 2,194 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.39, for a total value of $470,371.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $601,578.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Elie Melhem sold 2,051 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.51, for a total transaction of $442,011.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,850,335.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 2,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.39, for a total transaction of $470,371.66. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $601,578.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,753 shares of company stock valued at $1,236,753. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.