Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) SVP Sells 10,720 Shares

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) SVP Todd Helms sold 10,720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $295,979.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 64,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,780,209.97. This represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of MWA stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $27.62. The company had a trading volume of 867,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,111,825. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $22.01 and a 12 month high of $31.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.92, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $27.92 and its 200 day moving average is $26.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 4.02.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $318.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.26 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.Mueller Water Products’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MWA shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MWA. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Mueller Water Products by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,890,000 after acquiring an additional 30,862 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 87.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 122,472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 57,053 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the first quarter worth approximately $205,000. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the first quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 572,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,558,000 after purchasing an additional 56,404 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Mueller Water Products

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.