Wesbanco Bank Inc. Invests $1.47 Million in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 57,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,474,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MWA. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 25.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,890,000 after acquiring an additional 30,862 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 87.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 122,472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,113,000 after acquiring an additional 57,053 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter valued at about $205,000. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter valued at about $212,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 572,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,558,000 after purchasing an additional 56,404 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MWA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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 report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up previously from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total value of $371,614.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,115,276.54. This represents a 14.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.41 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,925 shares in the company, valued at $437,549.25. This represents a 6.70% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Mueller Water Products stock opened at $29.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.17. Mueller Water Products has a 52 week low of $22.01 and a 52 week high of $29.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $25.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 4.02.

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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

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