AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Cuts Stock Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 46,802 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 8,549 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $9,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Andina Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.3% in the third quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Watts Water Technologies by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,496 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.3% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,238 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Watts Water Technologies by 3.4% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,272 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 2,607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.72, for a total transaction of $554,561.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 11,457 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,437,133.04. This represents a 18.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.10, for a total value of $955,377.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 15,635 shares in the company, valued at $3,269,278.50. This trade represents a 22.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock valued at $6,924,594. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE WTS opened at $210.52 on Friday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $175.37 and a 52 week high of $222.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $209.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $201.90.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $541.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. Watts Water Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.50.

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.