Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.25.

Several analysts recently issued reports on MWA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price objective (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Monday, February 9th.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE MWA opened at $25.34 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.69. Mueller Water Products has a 12-month low of $22.74 and a 12-month high of $31.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.57, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.75 per share, with a total value of $30,024.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $611,897.25. The trade was a 5.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $295,979.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,780,209.97. This represents a 14.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Danske Bank A S boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 266.7% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.