Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Insider Buying Activity

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday following insider buying activity. The stock traded as high as $30.98 and last traded at $30.2060, with a volume of 15632 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.12.

Specifically, Director Gregg C. Sengstack acquired 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $29.58 per share, with a total value of $739,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $739,500. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MWA. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.33.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.87. The company has a quick ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 4.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $318.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.26 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.Mueller Water Products’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.25 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Danske Bank A S boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 266.7% during the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 131.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 47.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.