Sanctuary Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

Sanctuary Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 39.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,557 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advyzon Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 843 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,163 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,149,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 648 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,510 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WTS shares. TD Cowen lifted 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 note on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $379.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $358.00 price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $345.30.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In other news, insider Elie Melhem sold 2,257 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.00, for a total transaction of $679,357.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,963 shares in the company, valued at $2,697,863. This trade represents a 20.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Dubose sold 398 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.63, for a total transaction of $123,232.74. Following the sale, the director owned 1,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $561,668.82. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WTS opened at $344.62 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $335.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.80. The stock has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.14. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $250.63 and a 52-week high of $394.54.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The technology company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $677.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $638.13 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 14.32%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.37 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

About Watts Water Technologies

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.