Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. Purchases 9,689 Shares of Mueller Water Products $MWA

Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 1.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 583,840 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 9,689 shares during the quarter. Mueller Water Products comprises approximately 2.9% of Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $14,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $502,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 741.2% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 44,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 39,269 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 291.7% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 55,565 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,412,000 after acquiring an additional 41,381 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the first quarter valued at approximately $913,000. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of MWA stock opened at $25.62 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.18. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $21.35 and a 12 month high of $28.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $25.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.25. The company has a current ratio of 3.86, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 24th. The industrial products company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $237.40 million during the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 10.67%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is 29.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MWA. Wall Street Zen raised Mueller Water Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.33.

Insider Transactions at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Thomas J. Hansen sold 24,005 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.15, for a total transaction of $627,730.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 86,163 shares in the company, valued at $2,253,162.45. This trade represents a 21.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,070 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $25.78 per share, with a total value of $27,584.60. Following the purchase, the director owned 16,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $433,104. This trade represents a 6.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,664 shares of company stock valued at $909,819. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

Mueller Water Products, Inc manufactures and markets products and services for the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water used by municipalities, and the residential and non-residential construction industries in the United States, Israel, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Water Flow Solutions and Water Management Solutions.