Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.00.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MWA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Mueller Water Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $25.51 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $25.50 and its 200-day moving average is $26.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 4.57. Mueller Water Products has a 52 week low of $22.74 and a 52 week high of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.17%. Sell-side analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is 21.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,183 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $25.33 per share, for a total transaction of $29,965.39. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $631,882.18. This represents a 4.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Danske Bank A S grew its position in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the period. 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.