Hantz Financial Services Inc. Lowers Holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,009 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 2,403 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $10,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 11.9% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 75,075 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $15,555,000 after buying an additional 7,984 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth about $235,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.1% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 20,000 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,144,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter worth about $246,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 89.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 61,968 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,839,000 after buying an additional 29,332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $217.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Northcoast Research upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $225.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.25.

Insider Transactions at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, CFO Shashank Patel sold 4,569 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 15,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,269,278.50. This trade represents a 22.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 14,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,737,557.60. This trade represents a 19.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Watts Water Technologies stock opened at $215.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $205.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $197.93. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.37 and a 12 month high of $221.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.79, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The business had revenue of $543.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $541.83 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.