Stifel Financial Corp Sells 461 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Stifel Financial Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 39,813 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 461 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $8,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WTS. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in Watts Water Technologies by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,050,215 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $375,948,000 after purchasing an additional 29,473 shares during the last quarter. Mirova US LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.2% in the second quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 715,674 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $131,233,000 after acquiring an additional 15,462 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 587,538 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $107,738,000 after acquiring an additional 6,742 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in Watts Water Technologies by 60.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 520,189 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $107,778,000 after purchasing an additional 195,778 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Watts Water Technologies by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 316,407 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $65,556,000 after purchasing an additional 9,148 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $331,318.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,430 shares in the company, valued at $941,463.60. This represents a 26.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 2,607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.72, for a total transaction of $554,561.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 11,457 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,437,133.04. This trade represents a 18.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 0.4 %

WTS opened at $220.52 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $207.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $197.98. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.37 and a 1-year high of $222.70.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The business had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $541.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WTS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Northcoast Research raised Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

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.