Diversified Trust Co Buys 2,030 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 91.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,240 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,030 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at $68,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 76.7% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 394 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 24.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 392 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE WTS opened at $201.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $209.21 and a 200-day moving average of $200.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.55. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a PE ratio of 24.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.93. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $222.70.

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

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.62%.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were 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 $3,269,278.50. The trade was a 22.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert J. Pagano, Jr. sold 20,810 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.20, for a total transaction of $4,415,882.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 176,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,356,749. This trade represents a 10.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.