Candriam S.C.A. Trims Stake in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Candriam S.C.A. cut its holdings in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 427,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 76,659 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $10,914,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MWA. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP grew its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 2.7% during the third quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 22,513 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Mueller Water Products by 131.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.1% in the second quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 59,034 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,419,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 46,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MWA. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price objective (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday. 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $24.41 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $437,549.25. This trade represents a 6.70% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,115,276.54. This trade represents a 14.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE:MWA opened at $29.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $25.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.17. Mueller Water Products has a 12-month low of $22.01 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The company has a current ratio of 4.02, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $315.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

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.