Perpetual Ltd Buys 75,738 Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA)

Perpetual Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 24.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 384,369 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 75,738 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd owned about 0.25% of Mueller Water Products worth $9,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 73.1% during the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 171.8% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,761 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Mueller Water Products stock opened at $24.14 on Friday. Mueller Water Products has a twelve month low of $17.49 and a twelve month high of $28.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.49, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $24.79 and its 200 day moving average is $24.69.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The company had revenue of $364.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $352.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.25.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 7,376 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total transaction of $181,228.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,085 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.32 per share, for a total transaction of $27,472.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $370,178.40. The trade was a 8.02% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mueller Water Products 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.