Natixis Trims Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Natixis reduced its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,776 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 9,799 shares during the period. Natixis owned about 0.20% of Watts Water Technologies worth $13,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 632,155 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $128,527,000 after purchasing an additional 44,465 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 85.1% during the 4th quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 422,026 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $85,798,000 after purchasing an additional 194,033 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 323,007 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $65,667,000 after buying an additional 19,598 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 319,703 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $64,996,000 after buying an additional 3,296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,887,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE WTS opened at $197.32 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $206.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $207.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.95. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.37 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. Equities analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total value of $925,700.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTS has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $219.00 to $229.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.00.

Watts Water Technologies Profile

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.