Barclays PLC Has $10.94 Million Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 105.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,810 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 27,138 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.16% of Watts Water Technologies worth $10,942,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,238,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 520,189 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $107,778,000 after buying an additional 195,778 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1,070.6% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 209,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,324,000 after buying an additional 191,146 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 171.7% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 139,100 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $25,507,000 after acquiring an additional 87,900 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,794,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE WTS opened at $218.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.92. 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. The company has a 50 day moving average of $208.71 and a 200-day moving average of $198.31.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 EPS 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 company had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $541.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is 20.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Northcoast Research raised Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.65, for a total value of $667,454.85. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 14,064 shares in the company, valued at $2,737,557.60. This trade represents a 19.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.10, for a total value of $955,377.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 15,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,269,278.50. This represents a 22.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock valued at $6,924,594 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.