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Watts Water (WTS) Surges 32.3% in the Past Year: Here's Why
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Watts Water Technologies (WTS - Free Report) has witnessed strong momentum in the past year. Shares of the company have gained 32.3% compared with the sub-industry’s growth of 25.2% in the same time frame.
The company designs, manufactures and sells various water safety and flow control products for the water quality, water conservation, water safety and water flow control markets.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Catalysts Behind the Price Surge
Let’s delve deeper to unearth the factors working in favor of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock.
The company’s performance is benefiting from strengthening momentum in the Asia-Pacific and Americas regions. In the last reported quarter, net sales rose 10% year over year to $387 million in the Americas region.
The company is likely to benefit from continued investment in smart and connected-enabled products, which are expected to provide further differentiation in the marketplace. Watts Water is focused on enhancing organic growth, driving margin expansion and reinvesting in productivity initiatives.
Also, the company has an impressive VGM Score of A. This style score condenses all the essential metrics from a company’s financial statements to get a true sense of the quality and sustainability of its growth.
However, the company’s performance in Europe in 2024 is likely to be affected due to weakness in the residential and non-residential new construction markets coupled with the impact of changes to the energy incentive program in Germany and Italy.
Strategic Acquisitions Drive Growth
Over the years, Watts Water has consistently invested in sales and marketing as well as R&D to bring new products into the market. In January 2024, the company completed the acquisition of Josam Company.
Watts Water is set to offer its clients a wide array of capabilities and solutions. Josam’s complementary sales networks and channel relationships are expected to drive future growth and provide cross-selling opportunities for the company.
Prior to that, the company announced that it had completed the acquisition of Bradley Corporation for $303 million to expand its global footprint.
Stable Solvency Structure
The company is benefiting from aggressive cost-reduction actions along with a strong balance sheet. As of Dec 31, 2023, the company had $350.1 million in cash and cash equivalents with $298.2 million of long-term debt.
For the year ended Dec 31, 2023, Watts Water generated $310.8 million of cash from operating activities compared with $224 million in the prior-year period. As of Dec 31, 2023, free cash flow was $281.1 million compared with $201.1 million in the year-ago period. The increase was due to higher net income and reduced working capital investment.
A Look at Estimates
The company’s earnings are expected to increase 3.5% and 7.5% on a year-over-year basis in fiscal 2024 and 2025, respectively.
WTS’s fiscal 2024 and 2025 revenues are anticipated to rise 10.3% and 4.3% year over year, respectively.
WTS’s long-term earnings growth rate is pegged at 7.8%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Synopsys’ 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has improved 0.3% in the past 60 days to $13.46. SNPS’s long-term earnings growth rate is 17.5%.
Synopsys’ earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 4.1%. SNPS shares have risen 56.1% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Woodward’s fiscal 2024 EPS has moved up 5.7% in the past 60 days to $5.27. WWD’s long-term earnings growth rate is 15.5%.
Woodward’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 27.2%. WWD shares have risen 62.3% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Perion Network’s fiscal 2024 EPS has improved 0.6% in the past 60 days to $3.34. PERI’s long-term earnings growth rate is 22%.
The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 12.9%. PERI shares have lost 42% in the past year.
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Watts Water (WTS) Surges 32.3% in the Past Year: Here's Why
Watts Water Technologies (WTS - Free Report) has witnessed strong momentum in the past year. Shares of the company have gained 32.3% compared with the sub-industry’s growth of 25.2% in the same time frame.
The company designs, manufactures and sells various water safety and flow control products for the water quality, water conservation, water safety and water flow control markets.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Catalysts Behind the Price Surge
Let’s delve deeper to unearth the factors working in favor of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock.
The company’s performance is benefiting from strengthening momentum in the Asia-Pacific and Americas regions. In the last reported quarter, net sales rose 10% year over year to $387 million in the Americas region.
The company is likely to benefit from continued investment in smart and connected-enabled products, which are expected to provide further differentiation in the marketplace. Watts Water is focused on enhancing organic growth, driving margin expansion and reinvesting in productivity initiatives.
Also, the company has an impressive VGM Score of A. This style score condenses all the essential metrics from a company’s financial statements to get a true sense of the quality and sustainability of its growth.
However, the company’s performance in Europe in 2024 is likely to be affected due to weakness in the residential and non-residential new construction markets coupled with the impact of changes to the energy incentive program in Germany and Italy.
Strategic Acquisitions Drive Growth
Over the years, Watts Water has consistently invested in sales and marketing as well as R&D to bring new products into the market. In January 2024, the company completed the acquisition of Josam Company.
Watts Water is set to offer its clients a wide array of capabilities and solutions. Josam’s complementary sales networks and channel relationships are expected to drive future growth and provide cross-selling opportunities for the company.
Prior to that, the company announced that it had completed the acquisition of Bradley Corporation for $303 million to expand its global footprint.
Stable Solvency Structure
The company is benefiting from aggressive cost-reduction actions along with a strong balance sheet. As of Dec 31, 2023, the company had $350.1 million in cash and cash equivalents with $298.2 million of long-term debt.
For the year ended Dec 31, 2023, Watts Water generated $310.8 million of cash from operating activities compared with $224 million in the prior-year period. As of Dec 31, 2023, free cash flow was $281.1 million compared with $201.1 million in the year-ago period. The increase was due to higher net income and reduced working capital investment.
A Look at Estimates
The company’s earnings are expected to increase 3.5% and 7.5% on a year-over-year basis in fiscal 2024 and 2025, respectively.
WTS’s fiscal 2024 and 2025 revenues are anticipated to rise 10.3% and 4.3% year over year, respectively.
WTS’s long-term earnings growth rate is pegged at 7.8%.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are Synopsys (SNPS - Free Report) , Woodward (WWD - Free Report) and Perion Network (PERI - Free Report) . Synopsys and Perion Network sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Woodward carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Synopsys’ 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has improved 0.3% in the past 60 days to $13.46. SNPS’s long-term earnings growth rate is 17.5%.
Synopsys’ earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 4.1%. SNPS shares have risen 56.1% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Woodward’s fiscal 2024 EPS has moved up 5.7% in the past 60 days to $5.27. WWD’s long-term earnings growth rate is 15.5%.
Woodward’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 27.2%. WWD shares have risen 62.3% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Perion Network’s fiscal 2024 EPS has improved 0.6% in the past 60 days to $3.34. PERI’s long-term earnings growth rate is 22%.
The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 12.9%. PERI shares have lost 42% in the past year.