Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements contain projections of our future results of operations or our financial position or state other forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including without limitation statements regarding our business performance and strategy, expected financial results, our strategy, benefits from recent acquisitions, improvements in operating and free cashflow throughout and our ability to manage challenging macro-economic and softer market conditions, are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” and “would” or similar words. You should not rely on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. These risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that might cause these differences are described under Item 1A-“Risk Factors” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should carefully review all of these factors, and you should be aware that there may be other factors that could cause these differences. These forward-looking statements were based on information, plans and estimates at the date of this report, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, future events or other changes.
Overview
The following discussion and analysis are provided to increase the understanding of, and should be read in conjunction with, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes. In this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, references to “the Company,” “Watts,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Watts Water Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
We are a leading supplier of solutions, systems and products 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 and APMEA. For 150 years, we have designed and produced valve systems that safeguard and regulate water systems, energy efficient heating and hydronic systems, drainage systems and water filtration technology that helps purify and conserve water. We earn revenue and income almost exclusively from the sale of our products. Our principal product and solution categories include:
● Residential & commercial flow control and protection—includes products and solutions typically sold into plumbing and hot water applications such as backflow preventers, water pressure regulators, temperature and pressure relief valves, thermostatic mixing valves, leak detection and protection products, commercial washroom solutions and emergency safety products and equipment. Many of our flow control and protection products are now smart and connected enabled, warning of leaks, floods and freeze with alerts to Building Management Systems (BMS) and/or personal devices giving our customers greater insight into their water management and the ability to shut off the water supply to avoid waste and mitigate damage.
● HVAC & gas—includes commercial high-efficiency boilers, water heaters and heating solutions, hydronic and electric heating systems for under-floor radiant applications, custom heat and hot water solutions, hydronic pump groups for boiler manufacturers and alternative energy control packages, and flexible stainless steel connectors for natural and liquid propane gas in commercial food service and residential applications. Most of our HVAC products and solutions feature advanced controls enabling customers to easily connect to the BMS for better monitoring, control and operation. HVAC is an acronym for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
● Drainage & water re-use—includes drainage products and engineered rain water harvesting solutions for commercial, industrial, marine and residential applications, including connected roof drain systems.