Wealthfront Advisers LLC Purchases Shares of 48,070 Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 48,070 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,773,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WTS. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter valued at about $47,238,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $23,044,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth about $10,792,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 122.9% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,194 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $15,084,000 after buying an additional 40,912 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 741,743 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $153,708,000 after buying an additional 30,688 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WTS opened at $208.91 on Thursday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $232.60. The company has a market cap of $6.96 billion, a PE ratio of 24.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $209.55 and its 200 day moving average is $206.55.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is 19.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $2,204,038.57. The trade was a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on WTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.00.

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.