Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,527 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 6,784 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $6,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 502.7% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 223 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $53,000. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on WTS. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total transaction of $58,567.95. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $512,237.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.16, for a total value of $316,623.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,132,302.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total transaction of $58,567.95. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $512,237.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE WTS opened at $205.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $194.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.61. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $167.87 and a 1-year high of $219.52.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The technology company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $597.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $589.55 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.44% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 21.34%.

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.