Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Sells 7,226 Shares of Mueller Water Products $MWA

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 11.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 7,226 shares during the period. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $1,389,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 16.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,795,482 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $503,201,000 after buying an additional 2,840,895 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter valued at $61,497,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 66.2% in the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,401,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $137,296,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152,096 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products in the first quarter valued at about $53,854,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 21.6% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,052,000 after buying an additional 865,977 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of MWA opened at $24.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.02. Mueller Water Products has a 52-week low of $21.35 and a 52-week high of $28.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a current ratio of 3.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a PE ratio of 25.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.18.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 24th. The industrial products company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $237.40 million for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 20.89%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This is a boost from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.00.

Insider Transactions at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,070 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.78 per share, for a total transaction of $27,584.60. Following the acquisition, the director owned 16,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $433,104. This trade represents a 6.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Mueller Water Products

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.