Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS Shares Purchased by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 8,421.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,815 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 103,585 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.31% of Watts Water Technologies worth $41,030,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WTS. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 1,096 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.55, for a total value of $394,066.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,828,579.85. This represents a 12.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 3,650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.72, for a total value of $1,291,078.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WTS stock opened at $360.21 on Wednesday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $260.00 and a twelve month high of $394.54. The company has a market capitalization of $12.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $361.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $329.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $763.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.99 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 19.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.09 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 12.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price target 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 upgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $414.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $379.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $367.70.

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.