Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC Grows Stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,197 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 411 shares during the quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $662,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WTS. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth $30,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Watts Water Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Watts Water Technologies during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Watts Water Technologies during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WTS opened at $215.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.90. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.37 and a 12-month high of $219.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $204.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $197.73. 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 (NYSE:WTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $543.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $541.83 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WTS. StockNews.com raised shares of Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued 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.