NFJ Investment Group LLC Has $3.06 Million Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

NFJ Investment Group LLC decreased its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,781 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 677 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $3,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 30.0% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 338 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE WTS opened at $213.90 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $206.51 and a 200-day moving average of $197.68. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.37 and a 1-year high of $221.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $331,318.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,430 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $941,463.60. This trade represents a 26.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.65, for a total value of $667,454.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 14,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,737,557.60. This represents a 19.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Watts Water Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.25.

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.