Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $25.80.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price target (up from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE MWA opened at $27.79 on Friday. Mueller Water Products has a 52-week low of $13.64 and a 52-week high of $28.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.33. The company has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.45 and a 200-day moving average of $22.31.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 8.82% and a return on equity of 19.38%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.067 dividend. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is 36.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In related news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total transaction of $653,188.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,378 shares in the company, valued at $234,356.22. The trade was a 73.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 3,556 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.02, for a total transaction of $88,971.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,683 shares in the company, valued at $967,848.66. This represents a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 98,433 shares of company stock worth $2,494,144. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the second quarter worth about $1,472,000. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the second quarter worth about $209,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 24.6% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,999,869 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,838,000 after purchasing an additional 395,123 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 4.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 86,001 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,541,000 after buying an additional 4,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 48.4% in the second quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 199,172 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,569,000 after buying an additional 64,975 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% 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.