UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission file number 001-11499

WATTS WATER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (978) 688-1811

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x   No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes o    No x

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x   No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large Accelerated filer x             Accelerated filer o            Non-accelerated filer o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o   No x

As of June 30, 2006, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $846,359,576 based on the closing sale price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

DOCUMENTS INCOPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 2, 2007, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

PART I

Item 1.                        BUSINESS.

This annual report on Form 10-K contains statements which 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. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will” 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.”  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 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.

In this annual report on Form 10-K, references to “the Company,” “Watts,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Watts Water Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Overview

Watts Regulator Co. was founded by Joseph E. Watts in 1874 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Watts Regulator Co. started as a small machine shop supplying parts to the New England textile mills of the 19th century and grew into a global manufacturer of products and systems focused on the control, conservation and quality of water and the comfort and safety of the people using it. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in 1985 and became the parent Company of Watts Regulator Co.

Our “Water by Watts” strategy is to be the leading provider of water quality, water conservation, water safety and water flow control products for the residential and commercial markets in North America, Europe with an emerging presence in China. Our primary objective is to grow earnings by increasing sales within existing markets, expanding into new markets, leveraging our distribution channels and customer base, making selected acquisitions, reducing manufacturing costs and advocating for the development and enforcement of industry standards.

We intend to continue to introduce products in existing markets by enhancing our preferred brands, developing new complementary products, promoting plumbing code development to drive sales of safety and water quality products and continually improving merchandising in both the do-it-yourself (DIY) and wholesale distribution channels. We continually target selected new product and geographic markets based on growth potential, including our ability to leverage our existing distribution channels. Additionally, we continually leverage our distribution channels through the introduction of new products, as well as the integration of products of our acquired companies. We intend to continue to generate growth by targeting selected acquisitions, both in our core markets as well as new complementary markets. We have completed 30 acquisitions since divesting our industrial and oil and gas business in 1999, including five acquisitions in 2006 and nine acquisitions in 2005. Our acquisition strategy focuses on businesses that manufacture preferred brand name products that address our themes of water quality, water safety, water conservation, water flow control and related complementary markets. We target businesses that will provide us with one or more of the following: an entry into new markets, an increase in shelf space with existing customers, strong brand names, a new or improved technology or an expansion of the breadth of our Water by Watts offering. We are committed to reducing our manufacturing costs through a combination of expanding manufacturing in lower-cost countries and consolidating our diverse manufacturing operations in North

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America and Europe. We have acquired a number of manufacturing facilities in lower-cost regions such as China, Bulgaria and Tunisia, and plan to continue to shift production to these lower-cost regions.

Our products are sold to wholesale distributors, major DIY chains and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Most of our sales are for products that have been approved under regulatory standards incorporated into state and municipal plumbing, heating, building and fire protection codes in North America and Europe. We have consistently advocated the development and enforcement of plumbing codes and are committed to providing products to meet these standards, particularly for safety and control valve products. These codes serve as a competitive barrier to entry by requiring that products sold in select states meet stringent criteria.

Additionally, a majority of our manufacturing facilities are ISO 9000, 9001 or 9002 certified by the International Organization for Standardization.

Our business is reported in three geographic segments: North America, Europe and China. The contributions of each segment to net sales, operating income and the presentation of certain other financial information by segment are reported in Note 17 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis included elsewhere in this report.

Recent Acquisitions

On August 14, 2006, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Black Teknigas, Limited (Teknigas) located in St. Neots, United Kingdom for approximately $8,700,000, which is net of cash acquired of approximately $300,000. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $3,585,000 and $4,493,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for technology and customer relationships that have estimated useful lives ranging from 6 to 9 years and trade names with indefinite lives. Teknigas designs, develops and manufactures a range of gas control products and systems for combustion, industrial, medical, laboratory and specialty gas.

On June 7, 2006, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Kim Olofsson Safe Corporation AB (KimSafe) located in Almhult, Sweden for approximately $5,800,000, which is net of cash acquired of approximately $2,900,000. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $887,000 and $4,436,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have estimated useful lives of 5 years and trade names with indefinite lives. KimSafe manufactures electronic controls for heat pump, solar and pellet heaters, which provide the ability to heat water using renewable energy.

On June 2, 2006, we acquired the assets and business of Calflex Manufacturing, Inc. (Calflex) located in Vernon, California and the stock of Ningo Best Metal & Plastic Manufacturing, Ltd (Ningbo) located in Ningbo, China for an aggregate of approximately $6,600,000. The allocation for intangible assets is approximately $2,389,000. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have estimated useful lives of 12 years and trade names with indefinite lives. Calflex and Ningbo distribute and manufacture water connectors.

On May 19, 2006, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of ATS Expansion Group (ATS) located in Sorgues, Grenoble and Hautvillers, France for approximately $62,100,000, which is net of cash acquired of approximately $5,600,000 plus assumed debt of approximately $14,100,000. The preliminary allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $32,690,000 and $26,520,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships with estimated useful lives of 6 years, patents with estimated useful lives from 6 to 12 years and trade names with indefinite lives. ATS’ products include a broad range of fittings, valves and manifolds for water, gas and heating applications and stainless steel flexible hoses. The purchase price allocation for ATS is preliminary pending the final determination of fair values of intangible assets and certain assumed assets and liabilities.

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On April 26, 2006, we acquired the assets and business of Changsha Valve Works (Changsha) located in Changsha, China for approximately $9,200,000, of which approximately $1,184,000 remains to be paid subject to certain conditions being met. The preliminary allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $3,447,000 and $3,971,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for non-compete agreements that have estimated useful lives of 10 years and customer order backlog with an estimated useful life of 1 year. Changsha is a leading manufacturer of large diameter hydraulic-actuated butterfly valves for thermo-power and hydro-power plants, water distribution projects and water works projects in China. The purchase price allocation for Changsha is preliminary pending the final determination of fair values of certain assumed assets and liabilities.

On April 5, 2006, we completed the planned increase of our ownership in Watts Stern Rubinetti, S.r.l. (Stern) from 85% to 100%. The price paid for this additional 15% interest was approximately $387,000.

On December 28, 2005, we acquired 100% of the stock of Dormont Manufacturing Company (Dormont) located in Export, Pennsylvania, for approximately $93,916,000 net of cash acquired of approximately $1,506,000. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $39,190,000 and $38,600,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have estimated 13-year lives and trade names with indefinite lives. Dormont provides flexible stainless steel connectors for natural and liquid propane gas. Dormont works with appliance OEMs to provide internal component assemblies and private label gas connectors, which are sold under the OEM brand with the appliance in multiple leading retail chains. Dormont also supplies residential gas connectors through multiple trade channels and home improvement retailers. Dormont provides a core-plumbing product, which is complementary to our existing water product lines.

On December 2, 2005, we acquired 100% of the stock of Core Industries Inc. (Core) from SPX Corporation for approximately $46,369,000 in cash. Core consists of FEBCO, Mueller Steam Specialty and Polyjet Valves product lines. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $16,559,000 and $8,320,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for trade names with indefinite lives and customer relationships that have estimated 12-year lives. FEBCO is a manufacturer of backflow prevention valves and has a strong presence in both residential and commercial landscape irrigation. Mueller Steam Specialty allows us to expand into large diameter commercial strainers and check valves. Polyjet Valves offers a customized sleeve valve, which is used in severe service applications to provide precise flow and pressure control.

On November 4, 2005, we acquired the assets of Flexflow Tubing LLP (Flexflow), located in Langley, British Columbia, Canada for approximately $6,500,000. The purchase agreement contains an earn-out provision to be calculated over a five-year period ending December 31, 2010. Earn-out payments under the purchase agreement, if any, will not exceed $4,300,000 and will be treated as additional purchase price. For 2006, we recorded approximately $260,000 in additional goodwill related to the first year earn-out provision. Flexflow manufactures pex tubing for potable and non-potable applications. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $3,500,000 and $868,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have estimated 12-year lives. The acquisition of Flexflow is consistent with our strategy to increase our presence in the under floor radiant heating and potable water markets. This acquisition allows us to expand our presence in the market for flexible pex pipes for hot and cold-water transport.

On July 8, 2005, we acquired the water connector business of the Donald E. Savard Company  (Savard) in an asset purchase transaction for approximately $3,680,000. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $1,350,000 and $1,750,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for trade names with indefinite lives and customer relationships that have 14-year lives. The acquisition of the water connector business of Savard is consistent with our theme of

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water safety and control. This acquisition allows us to expand our presence in one of our leading product lines with a brand name that is well known to the plumbing wholesale market.

On July 5, 2005, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Microflex N.V. (Microflex) located in Rotselaar, Belgium for approximately $14,900,000 net of cash acquired of approximately $875,000. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $6,507,000 and $5,315,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have 7-year lives and trade names that have indefinite lives. Microflex produces and distributes flexible, pre-insulated, pex pipes for hot and cold-water transport, as well as a range of accessory products including couplings, caps, and insulation kits to the HVAC and water protection markets.

On June 20, 2005, we acquired the water softener business of Alamo Water Refiners, Inc. (Alamo) located in San Antonio, Texas in an asset purchase transaction for approximately $5,100,000. The allocation for intangible assets is approximately $285,000 and is primarily for the trade name with an indefinite life. There was no allocation to goodwill. The water softener products of Alamo are consistent with our theme of water quality and provide many synergistic opportunities when utilized in conjunction with our existing water filtration and water quality businesses. The acquisition of Alamo also expands our distribution presence into the southwestern U.S. markets.

On May 11, 2005, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Electro Controls Ltd. (Electro Controls) located in Hounslow, United Kingdom for approximately $11,737,000 net of cash acquired of approximately $5,014,000. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $5,788,000 and $315,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for trade names that have indefinite lives. Electro Controls designs and assembles a range of electrical controls for the HVAC market, with sales primarily in the United Kingdom.

On January 5, 2005, we acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of HF Scientific, Inc. (HF) located in Fort Myers, Florida for approximately $7,260,000 in cash plus $800,000 in assumed debt. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $4,178,000 and $2,660,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have 15-year lives and trade names that have indefinite lives.  HF manufactures and distributes a line of instrumentation equipment, test kits and chemical reagents used for monitoring water quality in a variety of applications.

On January 4, 2005, we acquired substantially all of the assets of Sea Tech, Inc. (Sea Tech) located in Wilmington, North Carolina for approximately $10,100,000 in cash. The purchase agreement contains an earn-out provision to be calculated on a cumulative basis over a three-year period ending December 31, 2007. Payments under the agreement, if any, will not exceed $5,000,000 and will be treated as additional purchase price. The allocations for goodwill and intangible assets are approximately $6,505,000 and $3,033,000, respectively. The amount recorded as intangible assets is primarily for customer relationships that have 15-year lives and trade names that have indefinite lives. Sea Tech provides cost-effective solutions for fluidic connection needs. Sea Tech offers a wide range of standard and custom quick connect fittings, valves and manifolds and pex tubing designed to address specific customer requirements.

Products

We believe that we have the broadest range of products in terms of design distinction, size and configuration in a majority of our principal product lines. Our principal product lines include:

·       backflow preventers for preventing contamination of potable water caused by reverse flow within water supply lines and fire protection systems;

·       a wide range of water pressure regulators for both commercial and residential applications;

·       water supply and drainage products for commercial and residential applications;

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·       temperature and pressure relief valves for water heaters, boilers and associated systems;

·       point-of-use water filtration and reverse osmosis systems for both commercial and residential applications;

·       thermostatic mixing valves for tempering water in commercial and residential applications;

·       systems for under-floor radiant applications and hydraulic pump groups for gas boiler manufacturers and renewable energy applications, including solar and heat pump control packages;

·       flexible stainless steel connectors for natural and liquid propane gas in commercial food service and residential applications; and

·       large diameter butterfly valves for use in China’s water infrastructure.

Customers and Markets

We sell our products to plumbing, heating and mechanical wholesale distributors, major DIY chains and OEMs.

Wholesalers.   Approximately 65% and 64% of our sales in 2006 and 2005, respectively, were to wholesale distributors for both commercial and residential applications. We rely on commissioned manufacturers’ representatives, some of which maintain a consigned inventory of our products, to market our product lines.

DIY.   Approximately 16% and 18% of our sales in 2006 and 2005, respectively, were to DIY customers in North America. Our DIY customers demand less technical products, but are highly receptive to innovative designs and new product ideas. Our DIY sales over the past several years have increased as a result of our development of unique new products and successful merchandising efforts and the expansion of the market with the large national chains. We expect that our DIY sales in Europe will increase significantly as a result of our recent acquisition of ATS.

OEMs.   Approximately 19% and 18% of our sales in 2006 and 2005, respectively, were to OEMs in both North America and Europe. In North America, our typical OEM customers are water heater manufacturers, equipment manufacturers needing flow control devices and water systems manufacturers needing backflow preventers. Our sales to OEMs in Europe are primarily to boiler manufacturers and radiant systems manufacturers.

Our largest customer, The Home Depot, Inc. and its subsidiaries, accounted for approximately $122,700,000, or 10.0%, of our total net sales in 2006 and $98,500,000, or 10.7 %, of our total net sales in 2005. Our top ten customers accounted for approximately $282,300,000, or 22.9%, of our total net sales in 2006 and $238,100,000, or 25.8%, of our total net sales in 2005. Thousands of other customers constituted the remaining 77.1% of our net sales in 2006 and 74.2% of our net sales in 2005.

Marketing and Sales

We rely primarily on commissioned manufacturers’ representatives, some of which maintain a consigned inventory of our products. These representatives sell primarily to plumbing and heating wholesalers or service DIY store locations in North America. We also sell products for the residential construction and home repair and remodeling industries through DIY plumbing retailers, national catalog distribution companies, hardware stores, building material outlets and retail home center chains and through plumbing and heating wholesalers. In addition, we sell products directly to certain large OEMs and private label accounts.

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Manufacturing

We have integrated and automated manufacturing capabilities, including bronze and iron foundries, machining, plastic injection molding and assembly operations. Our foundry operations include metal pouring systems, automatic core making, yellow brass forging and brass and bronze die-castings. Our machining operations feature computer-controlled machine tools, high-speed chucking machines with robotics and automatic screw machines for machining bronze, brass and steel components. We have invested heavily in recent years to expand our manufacturing base and to ensure the availability of the most efficient and productive equipment. We are committed to maintaining our manufacturing equipment at a level consistent with current technology in order to maintain high levels of quality and manufacturing efficiencies.

Capital expenditures and depreciation for each of the last three years were as follows:

 

The Company’s 2006 capital expenditures included approximately $18,000,000 related to the purchase and subsequent sale-leaseback of a building in Italy.

Raw Materials

We require substantial amounts of raw materials to produce our products, including bronze, brass, cast iron, steel and plastic, and substantially all of the raw materials we require are purchased from outside sources. We have experienced increases in the costs of certain raw materials, particularly copper. Bronze and brass are copper-based alloys. The spot price of copper increased approximately 33% from December 31, 2005 to December 31, 2006. In response, we have implemented price increases for some of our products that have become more expensive to manufacture due to the increases in raw material costs. During 2006, cost increases in raw materials were not completely recovered by increased selling prices or other product cost reductions. We are not able to predict whether or for how long these cost increases will continue. If these cost increases continue and we are not able to reduce or eliminate the effect of the cost increases by reducing production costs or implementing price increases, our profit margins could decrease.

Code Compliance

Products representing a majority of our sales are subject to regulatory standards and code enforcement which typically require that these products meet stringent performance criteria. Standards are established by such industry test and certification organizations as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (A.S.M.E.), the Canadian Standards Association (C.S.A.), the American Society of Sanitary Engineers (A.S.S.E.), the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control (USC FCC), the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (I.A.P.M.O.), Factory Mutual (F.M.), the National Sanitation Foundation (N.S.F.) and Underwriters Laboratory (U.L.). These standards are incorporated into state and municipal plumbing and heating, building and fire protection codes.

National regulatory standards in Europe vary by country. The major standards and/or guidelines which our products must meet are AFNOR (France), DVGW (Germany), UNI/ICIN (Italy), KIWA (Netherlands), SVGW (Switzerland), SITAC (Sweden) and WRAS (United Kingdom). Further, there are local regulatory standards requiring compliance as well.

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Together with our commissioned manufacturers’ representatives, we have consistently advocated for the development and enforcement of plumbing codes. We maintain stringent quality control and testing procedures at each of our manufacturing facilities in order to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements.

We believe that product-testing capability and investment in plant and equipment is needed to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements. Additionally, a majority of our manufacturing facilities are ISO 9000, 9001 or 9002 certified by the International Organization for Standardization.

Product Development and Engineering

We maintain our own product development, design teams, and testing laboratories in North America, Europe and China that continuously work to enhance our existing products and develop new products. We maintain sophisticated product development and testing laboratories. Research and development costs included in selling, general, and administrative expense amounted to $12,650,000, $11,576,000 and $9,942,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.

Competition

The domestic and international markets for water safety and flow control devices are intensely competitive and require us to compete against some companies possessing greater financial, marketing and other resources than ours. Due to the breadth of our product offerings, the number and identities of our competitors vary by product line and market. We consider brand preference, engineering specifications, plumbing code requirements, price, technological expertise, delivery times and breadth of product offerings to be the primary competitive factors. We believe that new product development and product engineering are also important to success in the water industry and that our position in the industry is attributable in part to our ability to develop new and innovative products quickly and to adapt and enhance existing products. We continue to develop new and innovative products to enhance market position and are continuing to implement manufacturing and design programs to reduce costs. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop new products will be successful or that our customers will accept our new products. Although we own certain patents and trademarks that we consider to be of importance, we do not believe that our business and competitiveness as a whole are dependent on any one of our patents or trademarks or on patent or trademark protection generally.

Backlog

Backlog was approximately $114,000,000 at February 16, 2007 and also was approximately $79,000,000 at February 20, 2006. We do not believe that our backlog at any point in time is indicative of future operating results.

Employees

As of December 31, 2006, our wholly-owned and majority-owned domestic and foreign operations employed approximately 8,300 people. None of our employees in North America or China are covered by collective bargaining agreements. In some European countries our employees are subject to the traditional national collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our employee relations are good.

In June 2006, we notified the employees of Tianjin Tanggu Watts Valve Co. Ltd., our 60% owned joint venture in Tianjin, China, that the Chinese government had informed us of its decision to take over the land on which the facility is located by eminent domain by December 31, 2007. As a result, we informed the employees that we would be required to close the facility and relocate its operations. In response, the employees commenced an unauthorized strike and demanded, among other things, certain

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severance benefits in connection with the shut down of the facility. We and our joint venture partner negotiated an agreement with the striking workers to provide the employees of the facility with severance and other benefits in connection with the shut down of the facility and the employees returned to work. The strike resulted in a work stoppage that lasted approximately four weeks.

Available Information

We maintain a website with the address www.wattswater.com. The information contained on our website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Other than an investor’s own internet access charges, we make available free of charge through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Certifications

Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have provided the certifications required by rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, copies of which are filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, an annual chief executive officer certification was submitted by our chief executive officer to the New York Stock Exchange on May 8, 2006 in accordance with the New York Stock Exchange listing requirements.

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Executive Officers and Directors

Set forth below are the names of our executive officers and directors, their respective ages and positions with our Company and a brief summary of their business experience for at least the past five years:

Name				Age				Position
Patrick S. O’Keefe					54			Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
William D. Martino					60			Chief Operating Officer and President of North American and Asian Operations
William C. McCartney					52			Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
J. Dennis Cawte					56			Group Managing Director, Europe
Ernest E. Elliott					55			Executive Vice President of Marketing
Paul A. Lacourciere					51			Executive Vice President of Manufacturing
Lynn A. McVay					39			Executive Vice President of Sales and President of the Retail Division
Gregory J. Michaud					45			Executive Vice President of Human Resources
Lester J. Taufen					63			General Counsel,Vice President of Legal Affairs and Secretary
Douglas T. White					62			Group Vice President
Robert L. Ayers (1)(3)					61			Director
Timothy P. Horne					68			Director
Ralph E. Jackson Jr. (2)(3)					65			Director
Kenneth J. McAvoy (1)(3)					66			Director
John K. McGillicuddy (1)					63			Director
Gordon W. Moran (2)(3)					68			Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Director
Daniel J. Murphy, III (2)					65			Director

 

(1)          Member of the Audit Committee

(2)          Member of the Compensation Committee

(3)          Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Patrick S. O’Keefe joined our Company in 2002. Prior to joining our Company, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Industrial Distribution Group, a supplier of maintenance, repair, operating and production products, from 1999 to 2001. He was Chief Executive Officer of Zep Manufacturing, a unit of National Service Industries and a manufacturer of specialty chemicals throughout North America, Europe and Australia, from 1997 to 1999. He also held various senior management positions with Crane Co. from 1994 to 1997.

William D. Martino joined our Company in October 2005. Prior to joining our Company, he served as President of the Cooper Power Systems Division of Cooper Industries, a manufacturer of electrical enclosures, lighting and wiring devices used in hazardous locations, from 1994 through December 2004. He was Vice President, Operations of the Crouse Hinds Division of Cooper Industries from 1989 until 1994.

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He also served as president of the McEvoy-Willis Division of Smith International from 1981 to 1989 and held various positions with General Electric Company from 1972 to 1981.

William C. McCartney joined our Company in 1985 as Controller. He was appointed our Vice President of Finance in 1994 and served as our Corporate Controller from 1988 to 1999. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in 2000. He served as Secretary of the Company from January 2000 to November 2005.

J. Dennis Cawte joined our Company in 2001 and was appointed Group Managing Director Europe. Prior to joining our Company, he was European President of PCC Valve and Controls, a division of Precision Castparts Corp., a manufacturer of components and castings to the aeronautical industry, from 1999 to 2001. He had also worked for approximately 20 years for Keystone Valve International, a manufacturer and distributor of industrial valves, where his most recent position was the Managing Director Northern Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

Ernest E. Elliott joined our Company in 1986 and has served in a variety of sales and marketing roles. He was appointed Vice President of Sales in 1991, served as Executive Vice President of Wholesale Sales and Marketing from 1996 to March 2003, Executive Vice President of Wholesale Marketing from March 2003 to February 2006 and as Executive Vice President of Marketing since February 2006. Prior to joining our Company, he was Vice President of BTR Inc.’s Valve Group, a diversified manufacturer of industrial and commercial valve products.

Paul A. Lacourciere joined our Company in 1986. He became Vice President of New Hampshire operations in 1989. He also served our wholly-owned subsidiary Watts Regulator Co. as Vice President of Manufacturing from 1991 to 1993, Executive Vice President from 1993 to 1995 and President from 1995 to 1997. He was appointed Corporate Vice President of Manufacturing of our Company in 1997 and Executive Vice President of Manufacturing in February 2006.

Lynn A. McVay joined our Company in March 2003 as Executive Vice President of Wholesale Sales. In October 2005, he was appointed President of the Retail Division and in February 2006 became Executive Vice President of Sales and President of the Retail Division. Prior to joining our Company, he was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Little Giant Pump Company, a water pump manufacturing company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tecumseh Products Company, from 1997 to March 2003.

Gregory J. Michaud joined our Company in April 2006 as Executive Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to joining our Company, he served as Vice President, Human Resources of the Compact Equipment division of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited, a diversified industrial company from June 2003 through March 2006. He served as Vice President, Human Resources of the Productivity Solutions division of Ingersoll-Rand from January 2003 to June 2003 and as Director, Human Resources & Corporate Organizational Planning of Ingersoll-Rand from June 2000 to December 2002.

Lester J. Taufen joined our Company in 1999 as Associate Corporate Counsel. He was appointed General Counsel, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Assistant Secretary in January 2000. He was appointed Secretary in November 2005. Prior to joining our Company, he was employed for 13 years at Elf Atochem North America, a chemical manufacturing company, serving as Senior Counsel.

Douglas T. White joined our Company in 2001 as Group Vice President. Prior to joining our Company he was employed by Honeywell International, Inc., a diversified technology and manufacturing company, as Vice President of Marketing—Consumer Products Group from 1998 to 2001.

Robert L. Ayers has served as a director of our Company since October 2006. He was Senior Vice President of ITT Industries and President of ITT Industries’ Fluid Technology from October 1999 until September 2005. Mr. Ayers continued to be employed by ITT Industries from September 2005 until his

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retirement in September 2006, during which time he focused on special projects for the company.  Mr. Ayers originally joined ITT Industries in 1998 as President of ITT Industries’ Industrial Pump Group. Before joining ITT Industries, Mr. Ayers was President of Sulzer Industrial USA and Chief Executive Officer of Sulzer Bingham, a pump manufacturer.

Timothy P. Horne has served as a director of our Company since 1962. He became an employee of our Company in 1959 and served as our President from 1976 to 1978, from 1994 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2002. He served as our Chief Executive Officer from 1978 to 2002, and he served as Chairman of our Board of Directors from 1986 to 2002. He retired as an employee of our Company on December 31, 2002. Since his retirement, Mr. Horne has continued to serve our Company as a consultant.

Ralph E. Jackson, Jr. has served as a director of our Company since 2004.  He worked for Cooper Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of electrical products, from 1985 until his retirement in December 2003. Prior to joining Cooper Industries, Mr. Jackson worked for the Bussmann and Air Comfort divisions of McGraw-Edison from 1976 until McGraw-Edison was acquired by Cooper Industries in 1985. While with Cooper Industries, Mr. Jackson served as Chief Operating Officer from 2000 to December 2003, Executive Vice President, Electrical Operations from 1992 to 2000, and President, Bussmann Division from the time McGraw-Edison was acquired by Cooper Industries to 1992. Mr. Jackson served as a member of the Board of Directors of Cooper Industries from 2000 to December 2003.

Kenneth J. McAvoy has served as a director of our Company since 1994. He was Controller of our Company from 1981 to 1986 and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from 1986 to 1999. He also served as Vice President of Finance from 1984 to 1994; Executive Vice President of European Operations from 1994 to 1996; and Secretary from 1985 to 1999. He retired from our Company on December 31, 1999.

John K. McGillicuddy has served as a director of our Company since 2003. He was employed by KPMG LLP, a public accounting firm, from 1965 until his retirement in 2000. He was elected into the Partnership at KPMG LLP in June 1975 where he served as Audit Partner, SEC Reviewing Partner, Partner-in-Charge of Professional Practice, Partner-in-Charge of College Recruiting and Partner-in-Charge of Staff Scheduling. He is a director of Brooks Automation, Inc.

Gordon W. Moran has served as a director of our Company since 1990. He has been the Chairman of Hollingsworth & Vose Company, a paper manufacturer, since 1997, and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer from 1983 to 1998.

Daniel J. Murphy, III has served as a director of our Company since 1986. He has been the Chairman of Northmark Bank, a commercial bank he founded, since 1987. Prior to forming Northmark Bank in 1987, he was a Managing Director of Knightsbridge Partners, a venture capital firm, from January to August 1987, and President and a director of Arltru Bancorporation, a bank holding company, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Arlington Trust Company, from 1980 to 1986.

Product Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters

We are subject to a variety of potential liabilities connected with our business operations, including potential liabilities and expenses associated with possible product defects or failures and compliance with environmental laws. We maintain product liability and other insurance coverage, which we believe to be generally in accordance with industry practices. Nonetheless, such insurance coverage may not be adequate to protect us fully against substantial damage claims.

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Contingencies

James Jones Litigation

On June 25, 1997, Nora Armenta (the Relator) filed a civil action in the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County (the Armenta case) against James Jones Company (James Jones), Mueller Co., Tyco International (U.S.), and the Company. We formerly owned James Jones. The Relator filed under the qui tam provision of the California state False Claims Act, Cal. Govt. Code § 12650 et seq. (California False Claims Act) and generally alleged that James Jones and the other defendants violated this statute by delivering some “defective” or “non-conforming” waterworks parts to thirty-four municipal water systems in the State of California. The Relator filed a First Amended Complaint in November 1998 and a Second Amended Complaint in December 2000, which brought the total number of plaintiffs to 161. To date, 11 of the named cities have intervened, and attempts by four other named cities to intervene have been denied.

In June 2002, the trial court excluded 47 cities from this December 2000 total of 161, but this exclusion was reversed by an August 30, 2006 California Court of Appeal ruling that is now final. This August 30, 2006 Court of Appeal ruling also reversed dismissals of Tyco International and Mueller Co., and this allowed the Relator to make a timely motion that would remove the Armenta Case litigation from Judge Lichtman’s court to another complex litigation judge’s court.

One of the allegations in the Second Amended Complaint and the Complaints-in-Intervention is that purchased non-conforming James Jones waterworks parts may leach into public drinking water elevated amounts of lead that may create a public health risk because they were made out of ‘81 bronze alloy (UNS No. C8440) and contain more lead than the specified and advertised ‘85 bronze alloy (UNS No. C83600). This contention is based on the average difference of about 2% lead content between ‘81 bronze (6% to 8% lead) and ‘85 bronze (4% to 6% lead) and the assumption that this would mean increased consumable lead in public drinking water that could cause a public health concern. We believe the evidence and discovery available to date indicates that this is not the case.

In addition, ‘81 bronze is used extensively in municipal and home plumbing systems and is approved by municipal, local and national codes. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency also defines metal for pipe fittings with no more than 8% lead as “lead free” under Section 1417 of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

In this case, the Relator seeks three times an unspecified amount of actual damages and alleges that the municipalities have suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. She also seeks civil penalties of $10,000 for each false claim and alleges that defendants are responsible for tens of thousands of false claims. Finally, the Relator requests an award of costs of this action, including attorneys’ fees.

In December 1998, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) intervened in this case and filed a complaint. We settled with the city of Los Angeles, by far the most significant city, for $7,300,000 plus attorneys’ fees. Co-defendants contributed $2,000,000 toward this settlement.

In August 2003, an additional settlement payment was made for $13,000,000 ($11,000,000 from us and $2,000,000 from James Jones), which settled the claims of the three Phase I cities (Santa Monica, San Francisco and East Bay Municipal Utility District) chosen by the Relator as having the strongest claims to be tried first. This settlement payment included the Relator’s statutory share, and the claims of these three cities have been dismissed. In addition to this $13,000,000 payment, we are obligated to pay the Relator’s attorney’s fees.

After the Phase I settlement, the Court permitted the defendants to select five additional cities to serve as the plaintiffs in a second trial phase of the case. Contra Costa, Corona, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz and Vallejo were chosen. The Company and James Jones then reached an agreement to settle the claims of the City of Santa Ana for a total of $45,000, an amount which approximates Santa Ana’s purchases of James

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Jones products during the relevant period. The Santa Ana settlement was approved by the Court and then completed.

On June 22, 2005, the Court dismissed the claims of the remaining Phase II cities (Contra Costa, Corona, Santa Cruz and Vallejo). The Court ruled that the Relator and these cities were required to show that the cities had received out of spec parts which were related to specific invoices and that this showing had not been made. Although each city’s claim is unique, this ruling is significant for the claims of the remaining cities, and the Relator has appealed. Litigation is inherently uncertain, and we are unable to predict the outcome of this appeal.

On September 15, 2004, the Relator’s attorneys filed a new common law fraud lawsuit in the California Superior Court for the City of Banning and forty-five other cities and water districts against James Jones, Watts and Mueller Co. based on the same transactions alleged in the Armenta case. About thirty-four of the plaintiffs in this new lawsuit are also plaintiffs in the Armenta case. On January 4, 2006, the Court denied much of the defendants’ demurrer, which had been filed on claim-splitting and statute of limitations grounds. Litigation is inherently uncertain, and we are unable to predict the outcome of this new lawsuit.

We have a reserve of approximately $26,000,000 with respect to the James Jones Litigation in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2006. We believe, on the basis of all available information, that this reserve is adequate to cover the probable and reasonably estimable losses resulting from the Armenta case and the insurance coverage litigation with Zurich American Insurance Company (Zurich) discussed below. We are currently unable to make an estimate of the range of any additional losses.

On February 14, 2001, after our insurers had denied coverage for the claims in the Armenta case, we filed a complaint for coverage against our insurers in the California Superior Court (the coverage case). James Jones filed a similar complaint, the cases were consolidated, and the trial court made summary adjudication rulings that Zurich must pay all reasonable defense costs incurred by us and James Jones in the Armenta case since April 23, 1998 as well as such defense costs in the future until the end of the Armenta case. In July 2004, the California Court of Appeal affirmed these rulings, and, on December 1, 2004, the California Supreme Court denied Zurich’s appeal of this decision. This denial permanently established Zurich’s obligation to pay Armenta defense costs for both us (approximately $16,600,000 plus future costs) and James Jones (which we estimate to be $17,000,000 plus future costs), and Zurich is currently making payments of incurred Armenta defense costs. However, as noted below, Zurich asserts that the defense costs paid by it are subject to reimbursement.

On November 22, 2002, the trial court made a summary adjudication ruling that Zurich must indemnify and pay us and James Jones for amounts paid to settle with the City of Los Angeles. Zurich’s attempt to obtain appellate review of this order was denied, but Zurich will still be able to appeal this order at the end of the coverage case. On August 6, 2004, the trial court made another summary adjudication ruling that Zurich must indemnify and pay us and James Jones for the $13,000,000 paid to settle the claims of the Phase I cities described above. Zurich’s attempt to obtain appellate review of this ruling was denied on December 3, 2004 by the California Court of Appeal, but Zurich will still be able to appeal this order at the end of the coverage case. Zurich has now made most of the payments required by these indemnity orders.

On February 8, 2006, Zurich filed a motion to set aside as void the November 22, 2002 and August 6, 2004 summary adjudication indemnity payment orders. After this motion was denied, Zurich appealed and this appeal is not yet resolved. We are currently unable to predict the finality of these indemnity payment orders since Zurich can also appeal them at the end of the coverage case. We have recorded reimbursed indemnity settlement amounts (but not reimbursed defense costs) as a liability pending court resolution of the indemnification matter as it relates to Zurich.

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Zurich has asserted that all amounts (which we estimate to be $51,000,000 for both defense costs and indemnity amounts paid for settlements) paid by it to us and James Jones are subject to reimbursement under Deductible Agreements related to the insurance policies between Zurich and Watts. If Zurich were to prevail on this argument, James Jones would have a possible indemnity claim against us for its exposure from the Armenta case. We believe the Armenta case should be viewed as one occurrence and the deductible amount should be $500,000 per occurrence.

These reimbursement claims are subject to arbitration under the Watts/Zurich Deductible Agreements. Zurich claims its reimbursement right for defense costs paid arises under six Deductible Agreements, and we contend that only two Deductible Agreements apply. We further contend that a final decision in California supports our position on the number of Deductible Agreements that should apply to defense costs. On January 31, 2006, the federal district court in Chicago, Illinois determined that there are disputes under all Deductible Agreements in effect during the period in which Zurich issued primary policies and that the arbitrator could decide which agreements would control reimbursement claims. We appealed this ruling. On October 20, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed that an arbitration panel could decide which deductible agreements between Zurich and us would control Zurich’s reimbursement claim for defense costs paid in the James Jones case. As a result of this development, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $5,000,000 to discontinued operations in 2006.

Based on management’s assessment, we do not believe that the ultimate outcome of the James Jones Litigation will have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. While this assessment is based on all available information, litigation is inherently uncertain, the actual liability to us to resolve this litigation fully cannot be predicted with any certainty and there exists a reasonable possibility that we may ultimately incur losses in the James Jones Litigation in excess of the amount accrued. We intend to continue to contest vigorously all aspects of the James Jones Litigation.

Environmental Remediation

We have been named as a potentially responsible party (PRP) with respect to a limited number of identified contaminated sites. The levels of contamination vary significantly from site to site as do the related levels of remediation efforts. Environmental liabilities are recorded based on the most probable cost, if known, or on the estimated minimum cost of remediation. We accrue estimated environmental liabilities based on assumptions, which are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties. Circumstances which can affect the reliability and precision of these estimates include identification of additional sites, environmental regulations, level of cleanup required, technologies available, number and financial condition of other contributors to remediation and the time period over which remediation may occur. We recognize changes in estimates as new remediation requirements are defined or as new information becomes available. At December 31, 2006, we have a reserve of approximately $1,400,000 (environmental accrual), which we estimate will likely be paid for environmental remediation liabilities over the next five to ten years. Based on the facts currently known to us, we do not believe that the ultimate outcome of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. Some of our environmental matters are inherently uncertain and there exists a possibility that we may ultimately incur losses from these matters in excess of the amount accrued. However, we cannot currently estimate the amount of any such additional losses.

Asbestos Litigation

We are defending approximately 104 cases filed primarily, but not exclusively, in Mississippi and New Jersey state courts alleging injury or death as a result of exposure to asbestos. These filings typically name multiple defendants and are filed on behalf of many plaintiffs. They do not identify any particular Watts products as a source of asbestos exposure. To date, we have been dismissed from each case when the scheduled trial date comes near or when discovery fails to yield any evidence of exposure to any of our

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products. Based on the facts currently known to us, we do not believe that the ultimate outcome of these claims will have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.

Other Litigation

On or about March 26, 2003, a class action complaint was filed against us by North Carolina Hospitality Group, Inc. in the Circuit Court of Maryland, Prince George’s County. It alleges that certain commercial valve models contain a design defect that causes them to fail prematurely. On June 7, 2004, the trial court issued an opinion and order that denied the plaintiff’s request for class certification. This ruling was appealed at the end of 2004, and on January 17, 2006, this ruling was affirmed by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. A release has been obtained from the plaintiff and this matter has now been successfully concluded.

Other lawsuits and proceedings or claims, arising from the ordinary course of operations, are also pending or threatened against us. Based on the facts currently known to us, we do not believe that the ultimate outcome of these other litigation matters will have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.

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Item 1A.       RISK FACTORS.

We face intense competition and, if we are not able to respond to competition in our markets, our revenues may decrease.

Competitive pressures in our markets could adversely affect our competitive position, leading to a possible loss of market share or a decrease in prices, either of which could result in decreased revenues and profits. We encounter intense competition in all areas of our business. Additionally, customers for our products are attempting to reduce the number of vendors from which they purchase in order to reduce the size and diversity of their inventories and their transaction costs. To remain competitive, we will need to invest continually in manufacturing, marketing, customer service and support and our distribution networks. We may not have sufficient resources to continue to make such investments and we may be unable to maintain our competitive position. In addition, we anticipate that we may have to reduce the prices of some of our products to stay competitive, potentially resulting in a reduction in the profit margin for, and inventory valuation of, these products. Some of our competitors are based in foreign countries and have cost structures and prices in foreign currencies. Accordingly, currency fluctuations could cause our U.S. dollar-priced products to be less competitive than our competitors’ products which are priced in other currencies.

Reductions or interruptions in the supply of raw materials and increases in the costs of raw materials could reduce our profit margins and adversely affect our ability to meet our customer delivery commitments.

We require substantial amounts of raw materials, including bronze, brass, cast iron, steel and plastic and substantially all of the raw materials we require are purchased from outside sources. The availability and costs of raw materials may be subject to curtailment or change due to, among other things, new laws or regulations, suppliers’ allocations to other purchasers, interruptions in production by suppliers and changes in exchange rates and worldwide price and demand levels. We typically do not enter into long-term supply agreements. Our inability to obtain adequate supplies of raw materials for our products at favorable costs, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations by decreasing our profit margins and by hindering our ability to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis. During 2006, the costs of many of these raw materials were at the highest levels that they have been in many years. We may continue to experience further cost increases of these materials. In  2006, cost increases in raw materials were not completely recovered by increased selling prices or other product cost reductions. If we are not able to reduce or eliminate the effect of these cost increases through lowering other costs of production or successfully implementing price increases to our customers, such cost increases from our vendors could continue to have a negative effect on our financial results. Additionally, we continue to purchase increased levels of finished product from international sources. If there is an interruption in delivering these finished products to our domestic warehouses, this could have a negative effect on our financial results.

Implementation of our acquisition strategy may not be successful, which could affect our ability to increase our revenues or our profitability.

One of our strategies is to increase our revenues and profitability and expand our markets through acquisitions that will provide us with complementary water-related products and increase market share for our existing product lines. We cannot be certain that we will be able to identify, acquire or profitably manage additional companies or successfully integrate such additional companies without substantial costs, delays or other problems. Also, companies acquired recently and in the future may not achieve revenues, profitability or cash flows that justify our investment in them. We expect to spend significant time and effort in expanding our existing businesses and identifying, completing and integrating acquisitions. In particular, we expect that management will continue to devote a significant amount of time and effort in 2007 to improve the operational results of our recently acquired subsidiary, Core Industries Inc., including improvements in its profitability, customer satisfaction and revenue growth rate. If we are not successful in

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implementing these improvements, our financial results may be negatively affected. We have faced increasing competition for acquisition candidates which have resulted in significant increases in the purchase prices of many acquisition candidates. This competition, and the resulting purchase price increases, may limit the number of acquisition opportunities available to us, possibly leading to a decrease in the rate of growth of our revenues and profitability. In addition, acquisitions may involve a number of special risks, including, but not limited to:

·       inadequate internal controls over financial reporting and our ability to bring such controls into compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in a timely manner;

·       adverse short-term effects on our reported operating results;

·       diversion of management’s attention;

·       investigations of, or challenges to, acquisitions by competition authorities;

·       loss of key personnel at acquired companies; and

·       unanticipated management or operational problems or legal liabilities.

We are subject to risks related to product defects, which could result in product recalls and could subject us to warranty claims in excess of our warranty provisions or which are greater than anticipated due to the unenforceability of liability limitations.

We maintain strict quality controls and procedures, including the testing of raw materials and safety testing of selected finished products. However, we cannot be certain that our testing will reveal latent defects in our products or the materials from which they are made, which may not become apparent until after the products have been sold into the market. We also cannot be certain that our suppliers will always eliminate latent defects in products we purchase from them. Accordingly, there is a risk that product defects will occur, which could require a product recall. Product recalls can be expensive to implement and, if a product recall occurs during the product’s warranty period, we may be required to replace the defective product. In addition, a product recall may damage our relationship with our customers and we may lose market share with our customers. Our insurance policies may not cover the costs of a product recall.

Our standard warranties contain limits on damages and exclusions of liability for consequential damages and for misuse, improper installation, alteration, accident or mishandling while in the possession of someone other than us. We record an accrual for estimated warranty costs at the time revenue is recognized. We may incur additional operating expenses if our warranty provision does not reflect the actual cost of resolving issues related to defects in our products. If these additional expenses are significant, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face risks from product liability and other lawsuits, which may adversely affect our business.

We have been and may continue to be subject to various product liability claims or other lawsuits, including, among others, that our products include inadequate or improper instructions for use or installation, or inadequate warnings concerning the effects of the failure of our products. In the event that we do not have adequate insurance or contractual indemnification, damages from these claims would have to be paid from our assets and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition. We, like other manufacturers and distributors of products designed to control and regulate fluids and gases, face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability claims and other lawsuits in the event that the use of our products results in personal injury, property damage or business interruption to our customers. Although we maintain strict quality controls and procedures, including the testing of raw materials and safety testing of selected finished products, we cannot be certain that our products will be completely free from defect. In addition, in certain cases, we rely on third-party manufacturers for our

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products or components of our products. Although we have product liability and general insurance coverage, we cannot be certain that this insurance coverage will continue to be available to us at a reasonable cost, or, if available, will be adequate to cover any such liabilities. For more information, see “Item 1. Business—Product Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters.”

Down economic cycles, particularly reduced levels of residential and non-residential starts and remodeling, could have an adverse effect on our revenues and operating results.

We have experienced and expect to continue to experience fluctuations in revenues and operating results due to economic and business cycles. The businesses of most of our customers, particularly plumbing and heating wholesalers and home improvement retailers, are cyclical. Therefore, the level of our business activity has been cyclical, fluctuating with economic cycles. We also believe our level of business activity is influenced by residential and non-residential starts and renovation and remodeling, which are, in turn, heavily influenced by interest rates, consumer debt levels, changes in disposable income, employment growth and consumer confidence. If these and other factors cause a material reduction in residential and non-residential and remodeling starts, our revenues and profits would decrease and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Economic and other risks associated with international sales and operations could adversely affect our business and future operating results.

Since we sell and manufacture our products worldwide, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. Our business and future operating results could be harmed by a variety of factors, including:

·       trade protection measures and import or export licensing requirements, which could increase our costs of doing business internationally;

·       potentially negative consequences from changes in tax laws, which could have an adverse impact on our profits;

·       difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations, which could reduce our productivity;

·       costs of compliance with differing labor regulations, especially in connection with restructuring our overseas operations;

·       natural disasters and public health emergencies;

·       laws of some foreign countries, which may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States; and

·       unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, which may be costly and require time to implement.

Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates could materially affect our reported results.

We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currencies, as a portion of our sales and certain portions of our costs, assets and liabilities are denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars. Approximately 38.0% of our sales during the year ended December 31, 2006 were from sales outside of the U.S. compared to 37.0% for the year ended December 31, 2005. For the year ended December 31, 2006, the appreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar had a positive impact on sales of approximately $7,107,000. For the year ended December 31, 2005 the depreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar had a negative impact on sales of approximately $2,857,000. Additionally, our Canadian operations require significant amounts of U.S. purchases for their operations. Instead of buying or manufacturing domestically, we currently have a favorable cost structure for goods we source from our joint venture, our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China and our outside vendors. In 2005, China revalued its currency higher against the U.S. dollar and

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stated it would no longer tie the yuan to a fixed rate against the U.S. currency. The yuan was valued at 7.80 and 8.07 at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. China also stated it will peg the yuan against numerous currencies, although it will keep the yuan in a tight band rather than letting it trade freely. The spot rate of the euro, Canadian dollar and yuan increased in value from December 31, 2005 to December 31, 2006 by approximately 11%, 1% and 3% respectively, against the U.S. dollar. If our share of revenue and purchases in non-dollar denominated currencies continues to increase in future periods, exchange rate fluctuations will likely have a greater impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

There are risks in expanding our manufacturing operations and acquiring companies in China.

As part of our strategy, we are shifting a portion of our manufacturing operations to China to reduce our production costs and to sell product into the Chinese market. This shift will subject a greater portion of our operations to the risks of doing business in China. In addition, we have increased our participation in the Chinese water and power infrastructure markets with our recent acquisition of Changsha Valve Works. Changsha sells exclusively into the domestic Chinese marketplace and enters into long-term sales contracts. The increased production levels in China require increased levels of working capital as we are rapidly increasing headcount and manufacturing equipment. If we are unable to quickly train these new employees we may experience product quality issues. The Chinese central and local government authorities have a higher degree of control over our businesses in China than is customary in many of the countries in which we operate, and  this makes the process of obtaining necessary regulatory approval in China inherently unpredictable. For instance, the local Chinese authorities in Tianjin, China informed us that property occupied by our TWT joint venture will be taken over by eminent domain by December 31, 2007, and we will incur significant costs in connection with the relocation of our operations there. In addition, the protection accorded our proprietary technology and know-how under the Chinese legal system is not as strong as in the United States and, as a result, we may lose valuable trade secrets and competitive advantage.

If we cannot continue operating our manufacturing facilities at current or higher utilization levels, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

The equipment and management systems necessary for the operation of our manufacturing facilities may break down, perform poorly or fail, resulting in fluctuations in our ability to manufacture our products and to achieve manufacturing efficiencies. We operate a number of manufacturing facilities, all of which are subject to this risk, and such fluctuations at any of these facilities could cause an increase in our production costs and a corresponding decrease in our profitability. We also have a vertically-integrated manufacturing process. Each segment is dependent upon the prior process and any breakdown in one segment will adversely affect all later components. Fluctuations in our production process may affect our ability to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis. Our inability to meet our delivery obligations could result in a loss of our customers and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we have an ongoing manufacturing restructuring program to reduce our manufacturing costs. As we transition more of our operations overseas as a result of the manufacturing restructuring plan, we are transferring capacity utilization. If our planned manufacturing plant consolidations in the United States and Europe and our production capability expansion in China are not successful, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

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If we experience delays in introducing new products or if our existing or new products do not achieve or maintain market acceptance and regulatory approvals, our revenues and our profitability may decrease.

Our failure to develop new and innovative products or to custom design existing products could result in the loss of existing customers to competitors or the inability to attract new business, either of which may adversely affect our revenues. Our industry is characterized by:

·       intense competition;

·       changes in specifications required by our customers, plumbing codes and/or regulatory agencies;

·       technically complex products; and

·       constant improvement to existing products and introductions of new products.

We believe our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate or adapt to these factors and to offer, on a timely basis, products that meet customer demands and the requirements of plumbing codes and/or regulatory agencies. The development of new or enhanced products is a complex and uncertain process requiring the anticipation of technological and market trends. We may experience design, manufacturing, marketing or other difficulties, such as an inability to attract a sufficient number of experienced engineers, that could delay or prevent our development, introduction, approval or marketing of new products or enhancements and result in unexpected expenses. Such difficulties could cause us to lose business from our customers and could adversely affect our competitive position; in addition, added expenses could decrease the profitability associated with those products that do not gain market acceptance.

Environmental compliance costs and liabilities could increase our expenses or reduce our profitability.

Our operations and properties are subject to extensive and increasingly stringent laws and regulations relating to environmental protection, including laws and regulations governing air emissions, water discharges, waste management and disposal and workplace safety. Such laws and regulations can impose substantial fines and sanctions for violations and require the installation of costly pollution control equipment or operational changes to limit pollution emissions and/or decrease the likelihood of accidental hazardous substance releases. We could be required to halt one or more portions of our operations until a violation is cured. We could also be liable for the costs of property damage or personal injury to others. Although we attempt to operate in compliance with these environmental laws, we may not succeed in this effort at all times. The costs of curing violations or resolving enforcement actions that might be initiated by government authorities could be substantial.

Under certain environmental laws, the current and past owners or operators of real property may be liable for the costs of cleaning up contamination, even if they did not know of or were not responsible for such contamination. These laws also impose liability on any person who arranges for the disposal or treatment of hazardous waste at any site. We have been named as a potentially responsible party or are otherwise conducting remedial activities with respect to a limited number of identified contaminated sites, including sites we currently own or operate. There can be no assurances that our ownership and operation of real property and our disposal of waste will not lead to other liabilities under these laws.

We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, costs relating to environmental matters. In addition, new laws and regulations, stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new clean-up requirements could require us to incur additional costs or become the basis for new or increased liabilities that could be significant. Environmental litigation, enforcement and compliance are inherently uncertain and we may experience significant costs in connection with environmental matters. For more information, see “Item 1. Business—Product Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters.”

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Third parties may infringe our intellectual property and we may expend resources enforcing our rights or suffer competitive injury.

We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality provisions and licensing arrangements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. We may be required to spend resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights. If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer, which could harm our operating results. We have been limited from selling products from time-to-time because of existing patents.

The requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” (FAS 142) may result in a write-off of all or a portion of our goodwill, which would negatively affect our operating results and financial condition.

As of December 31, 2006, we recorded goodwill and non-amortizable intangible assets of $356,090,000 and $50,519,000, respectively. If we are required to take an impairment charge to our goodwill or intangible assets in connection with the requirements of FAS 142, our operating results may decrease and our financial condition may be harmed. Under FAS 142, goodwill and identifiable intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are no longer amortized. In lieu of amortization, we are required to perform an annual impairment review of both goodwill and non-amortizable intangible assets. We concluded that no impairment existed at October 29, 2006, the time of our latest annual review. We perform our annual test for indications of goodwill and non-amortizable intangible assets impairment in the fourth quarter of our fiscal year or sooner if indicators of impairment exist.

The loss of a major customer could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our largest customer, The Home Depot Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, accounted for approximately $122,700,000, or 10.0%, of our total net sales for the year ended December 31, 2006 and $98,500,000, or 10.7%, of our total net sales for year ended December 31, 2005. Our customers generally are not obligated to purchase any minimum volume of products from us and are able to terminate their relationships with us at any time. In addition, increases in the prices of our products could result in a reduction in orders for our products from Home Depot and other customers. A significant reduction in orders from, or change in terms of contracts with, Home Depot or other significant customers could have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations.

Certain indebtedness may limit our ability to pay dividends, incur additional debt and make acquisitions and other investments.

Our revolving credit facility and other senior indebtedness contain operational and financial covenants that restrict our ability to make distributions to stockholders, incur additional debt and make acquisitions and other investments unless we satisfy certain financial tests and comply with various financial ratios. If we do not maintain compliance with these covenants, our creditors could declare a default under our revolving credit facility or senior notes and our indebtedness could be declared immediately due and payable. Our ability to comply with the provisions of our indebtedness may be affected by changes in economic or business conditions beyond our control.

One of our stockholders can exercise substantial influence over our Company.

As of February 1, 2007, Timothy P. Horne, a member of our board of directors, beneficially owned approximately 18.8% of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock (assuming conversion of all shares of Class B common stock beneficially owned by Mr. Horne into Class A common stock) and approximately 99.0% of our outstanding shares of Class B common stock, which represents approximately 69.3% of the total outstanding voting power. As long as Mr. Horne controls shares representing at least a majority of the total voting power of our outstanding stock, Mr. Horne will be able to unilaterally

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determine the outcome of most stockholder votes, and other stockholders will not be able to affect the outcome of any such votes.

Conversion and sale of a significant number of shares of our Class B common stock could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

As of February 1, 2007, there were outstanding 31,239,111 shares of our Class A common stock and 7,293,880 shares of our Class B common stock. Shares of our Class B common stock may be converted into Class A common stock at any time on a one for one basis. Under the terms of a registration rights agreement with respect to outstanding shares of our Class B common stock, the holders of our Class B common stock have rights with respect to the registration of the underlying Class A common stock. Under these registration rights, the holders of Class B common stock may require, on up to two occasions, that we register their shares for public resale. If we are eligible to use Form S-3 or a similar short-form registration statement, the holders of Class B common stock may require that we register their shares for public resale up to two times per year. If we elect to register any shares of Class A common stock for any public offering, the holders of Class B common stock are entitled to include shares of Class A common stock into which such shares of Class B common stock may be converted in such registration. However, we may reduce the number of shares proposed to be registered in view of market conditions. We will pay all expenses in connection with any registration, other than underwriting discounts and commissions. If all of the available registered shares are sold into the public market the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline.

Our Class A common stock has insignificant voting power.

Our Class B common stock entitles its holders to ten votes for each share and our Class A common stock entitles its holders to one vote per share. As of February 1, 2007, our Class B common stock constituted 18.9% of our total outstanding common stock and 70.0% of the total outstanding voting power and thus is able to exercise a controlling influence over our business.

Item 1B.             UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

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Item 2.    PROPERTIES.

As of December 31, 2006, we maintained approximately 84 facilities worldwide, including our corporate headquarters located in North Andover, Massachusetts. The remaining facilities consist of foundries, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, sales offices and distribution centers. The principal properties in each of our three geographic segments and their location, principal use and ownership status are set forth below:

North America:

 

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Europe:

 

China:

 

Certain of our facilities are subject to mortgages and collateral assignments under loan agreements with long-term lenders. In general, we believe that our properties, including machinery, tools and equipment, are in good condition, well maintained and adequate and suitable for their intended uses. We believe that our manufacturing facilities are currently operating at a level that our management considers normal capacity, except for our plants in St. Pauls, North Carolina, Langley, BC, Canada and Gardolo, Italy which are under-utilized. Management believes capacity utilization will continue to increase in 2007 at these plants, subject to unexpected changes in our sales volume.

Item 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are from time to time involved in various legal and administrative procedures. See Part I, Item 1, “Business—Product Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters,” which is incorporated herein by reference

Item 4.    SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

There were no matters submitted during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report to a vote of security holders through solicitation of proxies or otherwise.

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PART II

Item 5.                      MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices of our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange during 2006 and 2005 and cash dividends paid per share.

 

There is no established public trading market for our Class B common stock, which is held exclusively by members of the Horne family. The principal holders of such stock are subject to restrictions on transfer with respect to their shares. Each share of our Class B common stock (10 votes per share) is convertible into one share of Class A Common Stock (1 vote per share).

Aggregate common stock dividend payments for 2006 and 2005 were $12,445,000 and $10,480,000, respectively. While we presently intend to continue to pay cash dividends, the payment of future cash dividends depends upon the Board of Directors’ assessment of our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors.

The number of record holders of our Class A common stock as of February 23, 2007 was 166. The number of record holders of our Class B common stock as of February 23, 2007 was 8.

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Performance Graph

Set forth below is a line graph comparing the cumulative total shareholder return on our class A common stock for the last five years with the cumulative return of companies on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index and the Russell 2000 Index. We chose the Russell 2000 Index because it represents companies with a market capitalization similar to that of Watts. We have ceased using a peer group because we believe that there are few public companies engaged in lines of business directly comparable to those of Watts. The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our class A common stock and each index was $100 at December 31, 2001 and that all dividends were reinvested.

COMPARISON OF FIVE YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Watts Water Technologies, Inc.,
the S&P 500 Index and the Russell 2000 Index

*                    $100 invested on December 31, 2001 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.

Cumulative Total Return

 

The foregoing Performance Graph and related information shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such filing.

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Item 6.   SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The selected financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, related Notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included herein.

FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL SUMMARY

(Amounts in thousands, except per share information)

(1)          For the year ended December 31, 2006, net income includes the following net pre-tax gain: gain on sales of buildings of $8,188,000, restructuring costs consisting primarily of European severance of $2,150,000 and amortization of $390,000, other costs consisting of accelerated depreciation and severance in our Chinese joint venture of $4,667,000 and minority interest income of $1,530,000. The after-tax gain of these items was $1,465,000.

(2)          For the year ended December 31, 2005, net income includes the following pre-tax costs: restructuring of $729,000 and other costs consisting of accelerated depreciation and asset write downs of $1,816,000. The after-tax cost of these items was $1,633,000.

(3)          For the year ended December 31, 2005, net income includes a net after-tax charge of $933,000 for a selling, general and administrative expense charge of $1,505,000 related to a contingent earn-out agreement.

(4)          For the year ended December 31, 2004, net income includes a net after-tax charge of $2,289,000 for certain accrued expense adjustments, which are included in selling, general and administrative expense after-tax charges of $3,475,000 related to a contingent earn-out agreement and $724,000 for various accrual adjustments and $462,000 recorded as an income tax benefit.

(5)          For the year ended December 31, 2004, net income includes the following pre-tax costs: restructuring of $95,000 and other costs consisting of accelerated depreciation of $2,873,000. The after-tax cost of these items was $1,825,000.

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(6)          In December 2004, we decided to divest our interest in our minority-owned subsidiary, Jameco International, LLC (Jameco LLC). We recorded in discontinued operation a net of tax impairment charge of $739,000 for the year ended December 31, 2004. Also included in discontinued operations is the net of tax operating results of Jameco LLC of $54,000 of loss and $54,000 of income for the year ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. In September 1996, we divested our Municipal Water Group of businesses, which included Henry Pratt, James Jones Company and Edward Barber and Company Ltd. Costs and expenses related to the Municipal Water Group, for 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003 relate to legal and settlement costs associated with the James Jones Litigation. The loss, net of taxes, consists of $3,401,000, $421,000, $1,125,000 and $3,111,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

(7)          For the year ended December 31, 2003, net income includes the following pre-tax costs: restructuring of $426,000; other costs consist of inventory and other asset write-downs and accelerated depreciation of $479,000; and $750,000 of other related charges. The after-tax cost of these items was $1,084,000.

(8)          For the year ended December 31, 2002, net income includes the following pre-tax costs: restructuring of $638,000; other costs consist of: inventory and other asset write-downs and accelerated depreciation of $2,491,000; and $960,000 of other related charges. The after-tax cost of these items was $2,552,000.

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Item 7.                        MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

Overview

We are a leading supplier of products for use in the water quality, water safety, water flow control and water conservation markets in both North America and Europe with an emerging presence in China. For over 130 years, we have designed and manufactured products that promote the comfort and safety of people and the quality and conservation of water used in commercial and residential applications. We earn revenue and income almost exclusively from the sale of our products. Our principal product lines include:

·       backflow preventers for preventing contamination of potable water caused by reverse flow within water supply lines and fire protection systems;

·       a wide range of water pressure regulators for both commercial and residential applications;

·       water supply and drainage products for commercial and residential applications;

·       temperature and pressure relief valves for water heaters, boilers and associated systems;

·       point-of-use water filtration and reverse osmosis systems for both commercial and residential applications;

·       thermostatic mixing valves for tempering water in commercial and residential applications;

·       systems for under-floor radiant applications and hydraulic pump groups for gas boiler manufacturers and renewable energy applications, including solar and heat pump control packages;

·       flexible stainless steel connectors for natural and liquid propane gas in commercial food service and residential applications; and

·       large diameter butterfly valves for use in China’s water infrastructure.

Our business is reported in three geographic segments, North America, Europe and China. We distribute our products through three primary distribution channels, wholesale, do-it-yourself (DIY) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Interest rates have an indirect effect on the demand for our products due to the effect such rates have on the number of new residential and commercial construction starts and remodeling projects. All three of these activities have an impact on our levels of sales and earnings. An additional factor that has had an effect on our sales is fluctuation in foreign currencies, as a portion of our sales and certain portions of our costs, assets and liabilities are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

We believe that the factors relating to our future growth include our ability to continue to make selective acquisitions, both in our core markets as well as new complementary markets, regulatory requirements relating to the quality and conservation of water, increased demand for clean water with continued enforcement of plumbing and building codes and a healthy economic environment. We have completed 30 acquisitions since divesting our industrial and oil and gas business in 1999. Our acquisition strategy focuses on businesses that manufacture preferred brand name products that address our themes of water quality, water conservation, water safety and water flow control and related complementary markets. We target businesses that will provide us with one or more of the following: an entry into new markets, an increase in shelf space with existing customers, a new or improved technology or an expansion of the breadth of our water quality, water conservation, water safety and water flow control products for the residential and commercial markets. In 2006, sales from acquisitions contributed approximately 20.9% to our total sales growth over the prior year.

Products representing a majority of our sales are subject to regulatory standards and code enforcement, which typically require that these products meet stringent performance criteria. Together

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with our commissioned manufacturers’ representatives, we have consistently advocated for the development and enforcement of such plumbing codes. We are focused on maintaining stringent quality control and testing procedures at each of our manufacturing facilities in order to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements and take advantage of the resulting demand for compliant products. We believe that the product development, product testing capability and investment in plant and equipment needed to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements, represent a barrier to entry for competitors. We believe there is an increasing demand among consumers for products to ensure water quality, which creates growth opportunities for our products.

We require substantial amounts of raw materials to produce our products, including bronze, brass, cast iron, steel and plastic, and substantially all of the raw materials we require are purchased from outside sources. We have experienced increases in the costs of certain raw materials, particularly copper. Bronze and brass are copper-based alloys. During 2006, the spot price of copper increased approximately 33%.

A risk we face is our ability to deal effectively with increases in raw material costs. We manage this risk by monitoring related market prices, working with our suppliers to achieve the maximum level of stability in their costs and related pricing, seeking alternative supply sources when necessary, implementing cost reduction programs and passing increases in costs to our customers, to the maximum extent possible, when they occur. Additionally from time to time we may use commodity futures contracts on a limited basis to manage this risk. We are not able to predict whether or for how long these cost increases will continue. If these cost increases continue and we are not able to reduce or eliminate the effect of the cost increases by reducing production costs or implementing price increases, our profit margins could decrease.

Another risk we face in all areas of our business is competition. We consider brand preference, engineering specifications, code requirements, price, technological expertise, delivery times and breadth of product offerings to be the primary competitive factors. As mentioned previously, we believe that the product development, product testing capability and investment in plant and equipment needed to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements, represent a barrier to entry for competitors. We are committed to maintaining our capital equipment at a level consistent with current technologies, and thus we spent approximately $44,648,000 in 2006 (including approximately $18,000,000 related to the purchase and subsequent sale-leaseback of a building in Italy) and $18,590,000 in 2005. We are committed to expanding our manufacturing capacity in lower cost countries such as China, Tunisia and Bulgaria.

Recent Developments

In February 2007, our Board of Directors approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of our Class A common stock authorized for issuance from 80,000,000 shares to 200,000,000 shares. This amendment remains subject to approval of our stockholders at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for May 2, 2007.

In February 2007, we declared a quarterly dividend of ten cents ($0.10) per share on each outstanding share of Class A common stock and Class B common stock. This is an increase of $0.01 per share compared to the dividend paid for the comparable period last year.

In November 2006, we issued and sold 5,750,000 shares of Class A common stock in an underwritten public offering. The price to the public of the shares sold in the offering was $40.00 per share. The proceeds to the Company, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, was approximately $218,611,000. We expect to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including the funding of future acquisitions.

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Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2006 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2005

Net Sales.   Our business is reported in three geographic segments: North America, Europe and China. Our net sales in each of these segments for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 were as follows:

 

The increase in net sales is attributable to the following:

Change As a % of Consolidated Net Sales

Change As a % of Segment Net Sales

North  America

Europe

China

Total

North  America

Europe

China

Total

North  America

Europe

China

(Dollars in thousands)

Internal growth			$	53,962			$	45,207		$	2,981		$	102,150			5.9	%			4.9	%			.3	%			11.1	%			8.6	%			17.0	%			10.6	%
Foreign exchange			3,518				7,107			851			11,476				.3				.8				.1				1.2				.6				2.7				3.0
Acquisitions			133,859				48,862			10,084			192,805				14.5				5.3				1.1				20.9				21.2				18.3				35.9
Total			$	191,339			$	101,176		$	13,916		$	306,431			20.7	%			11.0	%			1.5	%			33.2	%			30.4	%			38.0	%			49.5	%

 

The internal growth in net sales in North America was due to increased price and unit sales in certain product lines into both the wholesale and DIY markets. Our wholesale market in 2006, excluding the sales from the acquisitions of Alamo, Savard, Calflex, Flexflow, Core and Dormont, grew by 9.7% compared to 2005, primarily due to increased sales of water pressure regulators, relief valves and backflow preventer units, as well as in our plumbing and under-floor radiant heating product lines. Our sales into the North American DIY market in 2006 increased by 5.4% compared to 2005, primarily due to increased sales of fittings and supply lines and plumbing and under-floor radiant heating product lines partially offset by fewer new retail product introductions in 2006 than during 2005.

The increase in net sales due to foreign exchange in North America was due to the Canadian dollar appreciating against the U.S. dollar. We cannot predict whether the Canadian dollar will continue to appreciate against the U.S. dollar in future periods or whether future foreign exchange rate fluctuations will have a positive or negative impact on our net sales.

The acquired growth in net sales in North America was due to the inclusion of net sales of Alamo, acquired on June 20, 2005, Savard, acquired on July 8, 2005, Flexflow, acquired on November 4, 2005, Core, acquired on December 2, 2005, Dormont, acquired on December 28, 2005, and Calflex acquired on June 2, 2006.

The internal sales growth in Europe was broad-based with most markets and channels exhibiting improvement. Our sales into the wholesale and OEM markets in 2006, excluding the sales from the acquisitions of Electro Controls, Microflex, ATS, Kimsafe and Teknigas, grew by 18.5% and 16.4% respectively, compared to 2005.

The increase in net sales due to foreign exchange in Europe was primarily due to the appreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar. We cannot predict whether the euro will appreciate or depreciate against the U.S. dollar in future periods or whether future foreign exchange rate fluctuations will have a positive or negative impact on our net sales.

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The acquired growth in net sales in Europe was due to the inclusion of the net sales of Electro Controls, acquired on May 11, 2005, Microflex, acquired on July 5, 2005, ATS, acquired on May 19, 2006, Kimsafe, acquired on June 7, 2006, and Teknigas, acquired on August 14, 2006.

The internal sales growth in China was due to increased sales into the domestic and export markets, partially offset by lost sales due to an approximately four- week work stoppage at our joint-venture facility in Tianjin. Additionally, the yuan strengthened against the U.S. dollar.

The acquired growth in net sales in China was due to the inclusion of the net sales of Changsha, acquired on April 26, 2006, and Ningbo, acquired on June 2, 2006.

Gross Profit.   Gross profit and gross profit as a percent of net sales (gross margin) for 2006 and 2005 were as follows:

 

Gross margin as a percent of sales for 2006 decreased slightly from 2005. Raw materials cost increases have been predominantly offset by increased sales prices with the exception of the North American retail market and certain markets in Europe. In particular, price increases have been difficult to pass along to customers in Germany.  Margins have also been negatively affected by sales of lower margin products sold by Core and by European acquisition costs. North American gross margin percentage decreases were partially offset by a favorable sales mix toward higher margin wholesale sales.

Margins were also negatively affected in 2006 by increased charges related to our manufacturing restructuring efforts. We recorded $4,667,000 to cost of sales for primarily severance costs in 2006 as compared to $1,816,000 in 2005 for accelerated depreciation and other costs.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.   Selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A expenses, for 2006 increased $70,761,000, or 30.8%, compared to 2005. The increase in SG&A expenses is attributable to the following:

 

The internal increase in SG&A expenses was primarily due to increased variable selling expenses due to increased sales volumes, increased insurance costs, increased compensation costs and corporate administration costs including costs incurred for compliance with FAS 123R, partially offset by lower costs for complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and lower earn-out costs related to a prior acquisition. The increase in SG&A expenses from foreign exchange was primarily due to the appreciation of the euro, Canadian dollar and yuan against the U.S. dollar. The increase in SG&A expenses from acquisitions was due to the inclusion of Electro Controls, Alamo, Microflex, Savard, Flexflow, Core, Dormont, Changsha, ATS, Calflex, Ningbo, Kimsafe and Teknigas.

Restructuring and Other (Income) Charges.   Restructuring and other (income) charges for 2006 decreased $6,377,000 primarily due to a gain of approximately $8,188,000 related to the sale of two buildings in Italy partially offset by a charge of $2,540,000 primarily for severance costs related to our European

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restructuring plans. During 2005, we recorded $729,000 primarily for severance costs related to our European restructuring plans.

Operating Income.   Operating income by geographic segment for 2006 and 2005 was as follows:

 

The increase in operating income is attributable to the following:

 

The internal growth in North America was primarily due to our increased gross profit from price increases and a favorable sales mix towards the wholesale market, benefits resulting from our completed manufacturing restructuring projects and product outsourcing, partially offset by increased net SG&A expense and inventory write-downs. In 2006, we did not record any costs associated with our manufacturing restructuring plan compared to costs of $1,005,000 for 2005. The acquired growth was due to the inclusion of operating income from Alamo, Savard, Flexflow, Core, Dormont and Calflex.

The internal growth in Europe was primarily due to increased gross profit from price and unit increases in the wholesale and OEM markets and benefits resulting from our completed manufacturing restructuring projects, partially offset by increased net SG&A expense. In 2006, we recorded a net gain of $6,038,000 associated with our manufacturing restructuring plan compared to a charge of $1,540,000 for 2005. We recorded a gain of $8,188,000 for the building sales in Italy partially offset by $2,150,000 primarily for severance costs. The acquired growth in Europe was due to the inclusion of the operating income from Electro Controls, Microflex, ATS, Kimsafe and Teknigas.

The increase in internal growth in China was attributable to sales volume increase, favorable material purchases and improved manufacturing efficiencies associated with our wholly owned manufacturing plants, partially offset by increased net SG&A expense. The acquired growth in China was due to the inclusion of the operating income from Changsha and Ningbo. In 2006, we recorded $5,057,000 of severance and accelerated depreciation costs associated with the planned move of our Chinese joint venture facility. We expect to record approximately $2,000,000 in 2007 for accelerated depreciation, severance and other costs related to this move. We did not record any costs associated with our manufacturing restructuring plan in 2005.

The decrease in internal operating income in Corporate was primarily attributable to incremental administration charges for variable compensation including costs incurred for compliance with FAS 123R, increased audit costs and increased pension costs, partially offset by lower costs incurred for SOX compliance.

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The net increase in operating income from foreign exchange was primarily due to the appreciation of the euro, Canadian dollar and yuan against the U.S. dollar. We cannot predict whether these currencies will continue to appreciate against the U.S. dollar in future periods or whether future foreign exchange rate fluctuations will have a positive or negative impact on our operating income.

Interest Income.   Interest income increased $3,782,000, or 307.0%, for 2006 compared to 2005, primarily due to the investment of the residual proceeds from the private placement of $225,000,000 5.85% senior notes in April 2006 and the net proceeds from the public offering of 5,750,000 shares of our class A common stock in November 2006.

Interest Expense.   Interest expense increased $11,795,000, or 113.9%, for 2006 compared to 2005, primarily due to interest expense associated with our $225,000,000 5.85% senior notes, increased debt levels for acquisitions made in 2005 and 2006, and an increase in the average variable rates charged on the revolving credit facility.

Effective July 1, 2005, we entered into an interest rate swap for a notional amount of €25,000,000 outstanding on our revolving credit facility. We swapped three month EURIBOR plus 0.6%, for a fixed rate of 3.02%. We recorded a reduction to interest expense of approximately $673,000 to recognize the fair value of the swap for 2006. The swap was terminated on October 3, 2006.

Other (Income) Expense.   Other (income) expense increased $201,000, or 27.6%, for 2006 compared to 2005, primarily due to the gains on settlements of officers’ life insurance policies.

Minority interest.   Minority interest increased $2,178,000, or 622.3%, for 2006 compared to 2005, primarily due to the credit recorded for the 40% liability of our joint venture partner’s share in the recording of the $5,057,000 manufacturing restructuring costs.

Income Taxes.   Our effective tax rate for continuing operations decreased to 33.6% in 2006 from 35.9% in 2005. The decrease is primarily due to higher earnings in our European and China segments. The shift in the mix of earnings to these segments causes our rate to decrease as these segments have lower effective tax rates than our worldwide average. The effect of the European earnings mix is partially offset by a higher effective tax from the gain on the sales of our Italian facilities. We were able to claim tax credits based on qualified fixed asset purchases in China that helped reduce the worldwide rate.

Income From Continuing Operations.   Income from continuing operations for 2006 increased $22,073,000, or 40.1%, to $77,093,000, or $2.29 per common share, from $55,020,000, or $1.67 per common share, for 2005, in each case, on a diluted basis. Income from continuing operations for 2006 and 2005 includes income, net of tax, for our restructuring plan of $1,465,000, or $0.04 per share, and costs of $1,633,000, or ($0.05) per share, respectively. The gains on the sales of our buildings in Italy resulted in an after-tax gain of $5,138,000, or $0.15 per share. The appreciation of the Canadian dollar, euro and Chinese yuan against the U.S. dollar resulted in a positive impact on income from continuing operations of $1,262,000, or $0.04 per share, for 2006 compared to 2005. We cannot predict whether the euro, Canadian dollar or yuan will continue to appreciate against the U.S. dollar in future periods or whether future foreign exchange rate fluctuations will have a positive or negative impact on our net income.

Loss From Discontinued Operations   We recorded a charge, net of tax, to discontinued operations for 2006 and 2005 of $3,357,000, or ($0.10) per common share, and $421,000, or ($0.01) per common share, respectively, in each case, on a diluted basis. In the third quarter of 2006, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $5,000,000 due to a recent federal appellate court decision which affirmed that an arbitration panel could decide which deductible agreements between Watts and Zurich American Insurance Company (Zurich) would control Zurich’s reimbursement claim for defense costs paid in the James Jones case. Other charges were primarily attributable to legal fees associated with the James Jones litigation, as described in Part I, Item 1. “Business-Product Liability, Environmental and Other Litigation Matters.”

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Year Ended December 31, 2005 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2004

Net Sales.   Our net sales in each of the three segments for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004 were as follows:

 

The increase in net sales is attributable to the following:

 

The internal growth in net sales in North America was broad-based in both our wholesale and DIY markets. Our wholesale market for 2005, excluding the sales from acquisitions, grew by 8.5% compared to 2004, primarily due to increased sales of backflow preventor units, as well as increased under-floor radiant heating product lines and increased unit selling prices in most of our product lines. Our sales into the North American DIY market for 2005 increased organically by 12.3% compared to 2004 primarily due to increased sales of fittings and supply lines and under-floor radiant heating products.

The increase in net sales due to foreign exchange in North America is due to the Canadian dollar appreciating against the U.S. dollar. We cannot predict whether the Canadian dollar will continue to appreciate against the U.S. dollar in future periods or whether future foreign exchange rate fluctuations will have a positive or negative impact on our net sales.

Acquired growth in net sales in North America is due to the inclusion of net sales of Dormont, acquired on December 28, 2005, Core, acquired on December 2, 2005, Flexflow, acquired on November 4, 2005, Savard, acquired on July 8, 2005, Alamo, acquired on June 20, 2005, HF, acquired on January 5, 2005, Sea Tech, acquired on January 4, 2005, and Orion, acquired on May 21, 2004.

Internal growth in Europe net sales results from increased sales into the wholesale market as a result of gaining market share, particularly in Germany. Sales into the European OEM market were primarily flat compared to last year.

Net sales were negatively affected by foreign exchange in Europe primarily from the depreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar. We cannot predict whether the euro will continue to depreciate against the U.S. dollar in future periods or whether future foreign exchange rate fluctuations will have a positive or negative impact on our net sales.

Acquired growth in Europe net sales is due to the inclusion of the net sales of Microflex, which we acquired on July 5, 2005, Electro Controls, which we acquired on May 11, 2005, and TEAM, acquired on April 16, 2004.

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The increase in net sales in China is primarily attributable to increased sales in both the Chinese domestic and export markets.

Gross Profit.   Gross profit and gross profit as a percent of net sales (gross margin) for 2005 and 2004 were as follows:

 

Gross margin as a percent of sales for 2005 decreased slightly from 2004. We experienced internal sales volume growth in all regions. However, commodity costs, especially for copper-based products and oil-based products, and a sales mix shift in North America and Europe, dampened our margin percentage growth. In 2005, we experienced raw material cost increases, which we were not able to fully recover through price increases on some of our products. North America experienced higher growth in lower-margin retail sales partially offset by a reclassification of product liability costs from cost of sales to selling, general and administrative expense. Europe’s OEM business was flat with an increase in lower margin wholesale product sales. Both regions benefited from completed manufacturing restructuring efforts. The China segment increased gross margin primarily due to increased sales volume in the domestic marketplace.

Margins were positively affected in 2005 by decreased manufacturing restructuring and other costs. We recorded $1,816,000 to cost of sales primarily for accelerated depreciation and other costs in 2005 compared to $2,873,000 for accelerated depreciation and other costs for 2004.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.   Selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A expenses, for 2005 increased $22,552,000, or 10.9%, compared to 2004. The increase in SG&A expenses is attributable to the following:

 

Internal SG&A expenses increased primarily from higher variable selling expenses caused by increased sales volumes in North America and China, from due-diligence related charges, and from increased bad debt reserves. These cost increases were partially offset by lower costs for complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). Additionally, we recorded $1,000,000 in reserve reductions in 2004 related to a favorable ruling in a legal matter. The increase in SG&A expenses from foreign exchange is primarily due to the appreciation of the Canadian dollar and the yuan against the U.S. dollar partially offset by the depreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar. The increase in SG&A expenses from acquisitions is due to the inclusion of Dormont, Core, Savard, Microflex, Alamo, Electro Controls, HF, Sea Tech, Orion and TEAM. Other includes costs of $2,454,000 for prior period corrections including an earn-out arrangement from a prior period acquisition that was accounted for as compensation expense. The earn-out arrangement was completed on August 31, 2005.

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