Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) Upgraded at Northcoast Research

Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $225.00 price objective on the technology company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on WTS. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.25.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

WTS stock opened at $212.08 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a PE ratio of 25.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.90. Watts Water Technologies has a 12 month low of $175.37 and a 12 month high of $219.52. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $200.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $543.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $541.83 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.62%.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $512,237.15. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 315 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.93, for a total value of $58,567.95. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $512,237.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.65, for a total transaction of $667,454.85. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 14,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,737,557.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,454 shares of company stock valued at $1,042,646. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 42,655 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,838,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 29.5% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,238 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,085,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 41,000 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,431,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 10,291 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% 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.