Analysts Set Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) PT at $22.20

Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.20.

Several brokerages have weighed in on MWA. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective (up from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Transactions at Mueller Water Products

In other news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total transaction of $653,188.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $234,356.22. This represents a 73.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 57,948 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.69, for a total value of $1,488,684.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 43,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,110,424.56. This trade represents a 57.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 98,433 shares of company stock worth $2,494,144 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Mueller Water Products

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MWA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the second quarter worth about $72,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 44.2% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,457 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 341.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 4,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 434.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,892 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 3,977 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.5 %

MWA opened at $22.09 on Monday. Mueller Water Products has a fifty-two week low of $13.49 and a fifty-two week high of $26.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 30.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $23.94 and its 200 day moving average is $21.68.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 19.38% and a net margin of 8.82%. The firm had revenue of $348.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $324.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.62%.

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.