Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $30.36 and last traded at $30.29, with a volume of 43820 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MWA shares. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $32.00 target price (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.33.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 4.02. The firm has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.09, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.63.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.The company had revenue of $318.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.26 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total value of $371,614.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $24.41 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,925 shares in the company, valued at $437,549.25. This represents a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,808 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 35,732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $851,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,672 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently 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.