Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $22.73 and last traded at $22.7950, with a volume of 242222 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MWA. Weiss Ratings raised Mueller Water Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.40.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 0.1%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.91 and a 200-day moving average of $26.24. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 4.64, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.11. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 23.55% and a net margin of 15.02%.The business had revenue of $395.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Paul McAndrew sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.39, for a total value of $1,055,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,052.84. This represents a 48.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Christine Ortiz sold 12,048 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.23, for a total value of $291,923.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $746,865.52. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,598 shares of company stock valued at $1,360,685. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.4% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 3.8% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 12,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 1.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,672 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

About Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products, Inc designs and manufactures products used to support the operation, maintenance, and monitoring of water distribution and wastewater infrastructure. Its offerings include gate, butterfly, and check valves; fire hydrants; pipe fittings; and related products used to control and manage the flow of water through municipal and other utility systems.

The company also provides technologies and services intended to help utilities monitor their networks, identify leaks, improve asset management, and enhance operational efficiency.