Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Barclays

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) was upgraded by Barclays to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

MWA stock opened at $25.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.03. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.94. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $22.74 and a 1-year high of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.17%.The company had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.75 per share, with a total value of $30,024.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,763 shares in the company, valued at $611,897.25. This trade represents a 5.16% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 25.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,890,000 after acquiring an additional 30,862 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 87.2% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 122,472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,113,000 after acquiring an additional 57,053 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter worth approximately $205,000. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter worth approximately $212,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 572,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,558,000 after purchasing an additional 56,404 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

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.