Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $8.08 Million Stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 39,766 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,900 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $8,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTS. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during the fourth 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. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 660.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 555 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth about $231,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.00.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE WTS opened at $207.23 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $210.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.35. The firm has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The technology company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.14. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 18.08%. On average, research analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In other Watts Water Technologies news, insider Elie Melhem sold 4,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total transaction of $925,700.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,204,038.57. This represents a 29.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.