QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 6,473 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,473 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $2,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,137,000 after acquiring an additional 77,467 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 361.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,775,000 after acquiring an additional 208,502 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 19.8% in the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,467,000 after acquiring an additional 64,399 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the third quarter valued at $451,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake 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 valued at $7,534,000 after acquiring an additional 77,772 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 1.5 %

MWA stock opened at $25.74 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 29.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.38. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.81 and a 12 month high of $28.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $24.06 and its 200 day moving average is $23.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 2.38.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MWA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were 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 approximately $234,356.22. This trade represents a 73.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products 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.