Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Short Interest Update

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,968,675 shares, a growth of 37.3% from the December 15th total of 2,891,419 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,362,109 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,362,109 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mueller Water Products news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total transaction of $371,614.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 85,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,115,276.54. This trade represents a 14.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.41 per share, with a total value of $27,461.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 17,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,549.25. The trade was a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 525.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,393,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,683 shares during the last quarter. Triodos Investment Management BV grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2.6% during the second quarter. Triodos Investment Management BV now owns 1,080,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,963,000 after buying an additional 27,500 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 8.7% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 282,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,800,000 after buying an additional 22,718 shares during the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 20.7% in the second quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 500,405 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,030,000 after acquiring an additional 85,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Mueller Water Products during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,618,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:MWA traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $26.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,620,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 966,139. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.13. Mueller Water Products has a twelve month low of $22.01 and a twelve month high of $28.58.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.75%. The business had revenue of $380.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.00.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

Mueller Water Products, Inc is a leading provider of water infrastructure and flow control products and services designed to help water utilities and municipalities manage, control and measure their water distribution systems. The company’s portfolio includes a comprehensive range of products such as fire hydrants, valves, pipe repair systems, fittings and couplings, along with advanced metering and monitoring solutions. By combining traditional mechanical components with digital technologies, Mueller Water Products addresses the critical need for reliable and sustainable water distribution across North America.

The company’s operations are organized around two primary business segments.