Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.20.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mueller Water Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Mueller Water Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Mueller Water Products from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays started coverage on Mueller Water Products in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 price target on Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, August 7th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Paul Mcandrew sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.39, for a total value of $1,055,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,556 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,052.84. This represents a 48.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,183 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.33 per share, with a total value of $29,965.39. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $631,882.18. This represents a 4.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,808 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 35,732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $851,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 1.1%

MWA stock opened at $24.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.64, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $25.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.98. Mueller Water Products has a 52 week low of $22.74 and a 52 week high of $31.00. The company has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.03.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.11. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 23.55%. The company had revenue of $395.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.49 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.86%.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

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.