Victory Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 34.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 649,831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 165,581 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.42% of Mueller Water Products worth $14,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,137,000 after buying an additional 77,467 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 361.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,775,000 after purchasing an additional 208,502 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,467,000 after purchasing an additional 64,399 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $451,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 28.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 347,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,534,000 after buying an additional 77,772 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of MWA stock opened at $26.88 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $24.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.34. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a one year low of $14.81 and a one year high of $28.25.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 21.18% and a net margin of 10.05%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is currently 30.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.80.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total transaction of $275,294.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $182,408.48. This represents a 60.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total value of $457,552.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% 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.