Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.25.

A number of research firms recently commented on MWA. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.75 per share, for a total transaction of $30,024.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,763 shares in the company, valued at $611,897.25. This represents a 5.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,165,849 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $146,871,000 after acquiring an additional 250,461 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 34.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,036,679 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $165,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530,193 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,613,397 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,075,000 after purchasing an additional 22,056 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,262,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $77,717,000 after purchasing an additional 37,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,241,253 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $77,207,000 after purchasing an additional 182,905 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

MWA stock opened at $26.27 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $26.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.57 and a quick ratio of 2.92. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $22.74 and a 1 year high of $31.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

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

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.