Aberdeen Group plc Boosts Stake in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 12.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 735,269 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 83,965 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.47% of Mueller Water Products worth $18,632,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MWA. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 66.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,535,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,203,088 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 525.9% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,393,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,683 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 19.4% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,825,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $140,042,000 after purchasing an additional 945,258 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 21.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,449,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $106,987,000 after purchasing an additional 796,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 344.1% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 945,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,733,000 after buying an additional 732,669 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE:MWA opened at $29.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.02 and a quick ratio of 2.55. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $26.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.66. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $22.01 and a 12 month high of $30.47.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.The business had revenue of $318.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.41 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 17,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,549.25. The trade was a 6.70% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total value of $371,614.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at $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. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price target (up previously from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.33.

Mueller Water Products 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.