Erste Asset Management GmbH Invests $10.79 Million in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 52,015 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,792,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 40.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,382 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,484,000 after buying an additional 4,967 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 316,407 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $65,556,000 after purchasing an additional 9,148 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 64.9% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 71,555 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $13,121,000 after purchasing an additional 28,170 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,897,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 54.9% during the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 44,840 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $9,348,000 after buying an additional 15,901 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $331,318.68. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,430 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,463.60. The trade was a 26.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the 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 transaction, the general counsel now owns 14,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,737,557.60. This represents a 19.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock valued at $6,924,594. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WTS opened at $215.79 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $221.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $206.20 and a 200 day moving average of $197.69.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.04 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend 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 currently 20.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.