Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Shares Acquired by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 30.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,816 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 14,477 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $12,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 329.1% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 236 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $203.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.44, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $211.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.22. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.37 and a 12 month high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 12.93%. As a group, analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is 19.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total value of $925,700.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,469 shares in the company, valued at $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.00.

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.