Melhem Elie 4

What Happened
Melhem Elie, President — APAC, Middle East & Africa for Watts Water Technologies (WTS), received equity awards and purchased shares on March 13, 2026. The Form 4 reports: 1,319 shares acquired as deferred stock at $0.00, 840 shares acquired at $238.24 each (total $200,122) under the company plan, and 248 shares disposed at $297.80 each (total $73,854) to cover tax withholding. Net result reported that day: a net acquisition of 1,911 shares (2,159 acquired minus 248 withheld).

Key Details

• Transaction date: March 13, 2026; Form 4 filed March 17, 2026 (filed timely).
• Acquisitions:
  • 1,319 shares — deferred stock, $0.00 per share (grant).
  • 840 shares — purchased at $238.24 per share, total $200,122 (Management Stock Purchase Plan at 20% discount per footnote).
• Disposition:
  • 248 shares — sold/forfeited at $297.80 per share to cover tax withholding, total $73,854 (required by grant agreement).
• Shares owned after the transactions: not stated in the provided filing.
• Notable footnotes:
  • Deferred stock vests in three equal annual installments starting one year after grant (F1).
  • The 840-share purchase were restricted stock units acquired under the Issuer’s Management Stock Purchase Plan at a 20% discount using a portion of the reporting person’s pre-tax 2025 performance bonus; those RSUs vest in three equal annual installments beginning one year after grant (F2).
  • The 248-share disposition was to satisfy tax withholding on vesting of a March 13, 2023 deferred award and was required by the grant agreement (F3); not a discretionary sale.

Context

• The acquisitions include both a zero-cost deferred stock award (typical for time-based grants) and a discounted purchase of restricted stock units using bonus compensation—both are common executive compensation mechanisms and tend to be long-term holdings due to vesting schedules.
• The 248-share disposition was a tax-withholding action tied to vesting, not an open-market sale expressing a trading decision.
• Purchases (the 840-share buy) are generally more informative about insider buying interest; here it was executed under the company plan at a discounted price and will vest over time.