YHB Investment Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 569 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the first quarter worth $26,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 174 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Virginia A. Halloran sold 1,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.11, for a total value of $307,207.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,818 shares in the company, valued at $2,994,865.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Watts Water Technologies news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 2,194 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.39, for a total transaction of $470,371.66. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,806 shares in the company, valued at $601,578.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virginia A. Halloran sold 1,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.11, for a total transaction of $307,207.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,818 shares in the company, valued at $2,994,865.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,273 shares of company stock worth $1,543,961 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Watts Water Technologies stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $186.76. The company had a trading volume of 289,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 133,676. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $203.81 and its 200-day moving average is $203.03. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.87 and a 12-month high of $219.52.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The technology company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.22. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The company had revenue of $570.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $547.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. This is an increase from Watts Water Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $206.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $212.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.50.

Watts Water Technologies Company 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.