Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Lowers Holdings in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its stake in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 33.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 563,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 280,108 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.36% of Mueller Water Products worth $15,481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,400,000. Amundi boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 112.2% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,267,340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $58,099,000 after buying an additional 1,198,801 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 344.1% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 945,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,733,000 after buying an additional 732,669 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter worth $15,547,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth $15,192,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price objective 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 note on Tuesday, May 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.25.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Mueller Water Products stock opened at $26.74 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $26.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.90. Mueller Water Products has a 12-month low of $22.74 and a 12-month high of $31.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.57, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.03.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 EPS 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 issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.75 per share, for a total transaction of $30,024.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.