8,930 Shares in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS Purchased by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTSFree Report) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 8,930 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,496,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTS. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 37,958.7% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 12,479,817 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,885,224,000 after buying an additional 12,447,026 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 2.2% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 907,336 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $253,211,000 after acquiring an additional 19,247 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 832,148 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $229,721,000 after acquiring an additional 25,501 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 545,404 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $158,325,000 after acquiring an additional 34,381 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 522,624 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $144,261,000 after acquiring an additional 1,418 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,096 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.55, for a total value of $394,066.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,828,579.85. This represents a 12.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 3,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.72, for a total transaction of $1,291,078.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $350.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $374.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $379.00 to $403.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $414.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $275.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $367.70.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WTS

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $356.60 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.13. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $260.00 and a 12 month high of $394.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $361.39 and its 200-day moving average is $329.20.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTSGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by $0.32. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 19.16%. The firm had revenue of $763.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.09 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 12.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.01%.

About Watts Water Technologies

(Free Report)

Watts Water Technologies, Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of flow control products and solutions designed to ensure the safe, efficient delivery and use of water. Founded in 1874 and headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, the company has built a reputation for engineering innovation in residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, heating, cooling and water treatment systems. Watts operates through a comprehensive portfolio of brands and product lines that address application-specific requirements in water safety, pressure regulation, flow control and filtration.

The company’s product offerings span backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves, relief valves and steam traps, as well as hydronic balancing and temperature control devices for heating systems.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS)

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