John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Sells 6,650 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 35.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,977 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 6,650 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $2,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WTS. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,416 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 4,172 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,207 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 4,045 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $995,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,595 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,345,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:WTS opened at $276.10 on Friday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $177.59 and a 52 week high of $287.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $277.94 and a 200 day moving average of $249.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.69, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.13.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.41. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 18.11%. The company had revenue of $643.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.46 earnings per share. Watts Water Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.37%.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total transaction of $195,682.85. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $327,693.30. This represents a 37.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $253.80.

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.