<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Quilter Plc decreased its stake in shares of  Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) by 15.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,019 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 4,455 shares during the quarter. Quilter Plc owned about 0.07% of Watts Water Technologies worth $6,987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><p>A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of  Watts Water Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth about $80,386,000.  Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in  Watts Water Technologies in the second quarter worth about $50,400,000.  AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Watts Water Technologies by 148.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 277,669 shares of the technology company's stock worth $68,276,000 after buying an additional 165,837 shares in the last quarter.  Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of  Watts Water Technologies by 2,366.7% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 153,282 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $37,691,000 after buying an additional 147,068 shares during the last quarter.  Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of  Watts Water Technologies by 20.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 804,050 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $197,728,000 after buying an additional 138,034 shares during the last quarter. 95.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Watts Water Technologies Trading Down 1.4%</h2><p>Shares of WTS opened at $299.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $280.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $274.94. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $177.59 and a 1 year high of $306.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.84. </p><p>Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The technology company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $611.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $576.20 million. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.79% and a return on equity of 18.31%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 EPS.  On average, equities analysts expect that  Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio  is presently 21.47%. </p><h2>Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies</h2><p>In related news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 6,994 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.65, for a total value of $1,948,878.10. Following the sale, the insider owned 23,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,410,621.90. The trade was a 23.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virginia A. Halloran sold 605 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.78, for a total transaction of $167,451.90. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,173.36. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,605 shares of company stock valued at $4,296,387 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>A number of analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp upgraded Watts Water Technologies from a &#34;sector weight&#34; rating to an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen  reiterated a &#34;hold&#34; rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings  reissued a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Friday, December 12th. They set a &#34;hold&#34; rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Watts Water Technologies from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. One analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued  a Buy rating and seven have assigned  a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $288.57.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Research Report on Watts Water Technologies</b></p><h2>Watts Water Technologies Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Watts Water Technologies, Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of flow control products and solutions designed to ensure the safe, efficient delivery and use of water. Founded in 1874 and headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, the company has built a reputation for engineering innovation in residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, heating, cooling and water treatment systems. Watts operates through a comprehensive portfolio of brands and product lines that address application-specific requirements in water safety, pressure regulation, flow control and filtration.  </p><p>The company's product offerings span backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves, relief valves and steam traps, as well as hydronic balancing and temperature control devices for heating systems.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Watts Water Technologies</li><li>How a Family Trust May Be Able To Help Preserve Your Wealth</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>The $100 Trillion AI Story No One Is Telling You</li><li>NEW LAW: Congress Approves Setup For Digital Dollar?</li><li>A U.S. “birthright” claim worth trillions - activated quietly</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WTS?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVdUUw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVdUUw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Watts Water Technologies Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Watts Water Technologies, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Watts Water Technologies wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Watts Water Technologies currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Quilter Plc has reduced its stake in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. by 15.1%, selling 4,455 shares in Q3, now holding 25,019 shares valued at approximately $6.99 million. Other institutional investors have also adjusted their holdings. Watts Water Technologies reported a quarterly EPS of $2.50, exceeding estimates, with revenue of $611.7 million. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share. Insider trading activity includes significant sales by major shareholders. The stock is currently trading at $299.31, down 1.4%.</p>

Quilter Plc Sells 4,455 Shares of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. $WTS