Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Hits New 12-Month High Following Strong Earnings

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $28.66 and last traded at $28.18, with a volume of 229747 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.52.

The industrial products company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $318.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.26 million. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 22.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.25 EPS.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,125 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.41 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.25. Following the purchase, the director owned 17,925 shares in the company, valued at $437,549.25. This trade represents a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total transaction of $371,614.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 85,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,115,276.54. This trade represents a 14.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,017 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 934 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 12.0% during 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 during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 6,242 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,367 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,222,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Mueller Water Products by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 271,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,464,000 after buying an additional 9,779 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 4.4%

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 4.02, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.37.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

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.