Cerity Partners LLC Invests $494,000 in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,373 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $494,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WTS. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 174 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in Watts Water Technologies by 3.2% during the third quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,025 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 6.4% in the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 281 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 1.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,803 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,349,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $206.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $191.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.20.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $201.40 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $203.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $197.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.29 and a 1-year high of $219.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.94.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 12th. The technology company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.19. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The business had revenue of $547.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.58 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.60 earnings per share. Watts Water Technologies’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.91, for a total transaction of $65,112.39. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $473,400.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.91, for a total value of $65,112.39. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $473,400.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Virginia A. Halloran sold 1,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.11, for a total transaction of $307,207.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,994,865.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,113 shares of company stock valued at $1,023,106. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.