Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on MWA. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mueller Water Products from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Mueller Water Products stock opened at $25.30 on Friday. Mueller Water Products has a 52-week low of $22.74 and a 52-week high of $31.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 4.57.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 22.11%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.37%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,183 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.33 per share, with a total value of $29,965.39. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at $631,882.18. This trade represents a 4.98% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth about $75,400,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 34.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,036,679 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $165,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530,193 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 112.2% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,267,340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,099,000 after buying an additional 1,198,801 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 344.1% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 945,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,733,000 after buying an additional 732,669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 58.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,934,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,217,000 after acquiring an additional 714,913 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.