Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) Insider Sells $925,700.41 in Stock

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 $2,204,038.57. This trade represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

WTS opened at $211.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $209.83 and a 200-day moving average of $206.67. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.37 and a 52-week high of $232.60.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $822,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in Watts Water Technologies by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,463,375 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $500,804,000 after buying an additional 386,333 shares during the period. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 91,341 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $18,570,000 after acquiring an additional 9,875 shares during the period. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $409,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” 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 issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.