Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS – Get Rating) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 644,321 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 16,929 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $81,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 12.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,237 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 41.6% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 881 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 14.8% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,951 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $11,160,000 after acquiring an additional 10,288 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,395,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $14,626,000. 74.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WTS shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $144.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Watts Water Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $151.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Watts Water Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $147.50.

Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of WTS stock opened at $175.91 on Wednesday. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.31 and a fifty-two week high of $181.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.52, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's fifty day moving average is $157.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 12.70%. The business had revenue of $501.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $489.21 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.04%.

Watts Water Technologies Profile

(Get Rating)

Watts Water Technologies, Inc engages in the manufacture and provision of products for water conservation, safety, and flow control. It operates through the following geographic segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Its services include plumbing and flow control solutions, water quality and conditioning, water reuse and drainage, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and municipal waterworks.

Featured Articles

• Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Watts Water Technologies (WTS)
• Molson Coors: Time To Buy More Or Tap Out?
• Medtronic Stock, A Bottom Is In Play
• What Are Dividend Payment Dates?
• Home Depot Is Heading For The Bargain Basement, Be Ready
• These Stocks Will be Dividend Aristocrats in Five Years or Less

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WTS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS – Get Rating).

Receive News & Ratings for Watts Water Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Watts Water Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.