Weiss Asset Management LP Invests $1.57 Million in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 57,155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,571,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vest Financial LLC bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,517,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 100.1% in the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 290,960 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,425,000 after purchasing an additional 145,578 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 998.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 387,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,220,000 after purchasing an additional 351,819 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth $75,400,000. Finally, Perpetual Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 429,580 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,233,000 after buying an additional 39,656 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,183 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.33 per share, for a total transaction of $29,965.39. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $631,882.18. This trade represents a 4.98% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MWA. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Mueller Water Products from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays began coverage on Mueller Water Products in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mueller Water Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MWA stock opened at $25.06 on Monday. Mueller Water Products has a 12-month low of $22.74 and a 12-month high of $31.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 4.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $25.43 and a 200-day moving average of $27.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.37%.

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.