Banco Santander S.A. Acquires 316 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS)

Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,539 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $1,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WTS. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,950 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,616,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 155 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 1.3% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.02% of the company’s stock.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of WTS opened at $214.96 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $209.09 and a 200 day moving average of $206.21. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.37 and a 12 month high of $232.60.

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

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Watts Water Technologies’s payout ratio is 19.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $218.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.00.

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.