Mueller Water Products $MWA Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 34.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,036,679 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,530,193 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 3.86% of Mueller Water Products worth $165,948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MWA. Danske Bank A S increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 266.7% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Mueller Water Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. 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 research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.00.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,183 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.33 per share, for a total transaction of $29,965.39. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $631,882.18. The trade was a 4.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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 Price Performance

NYSE:MWA opened at $24.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.57 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $25.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.99. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $22.74 and a 1-year high of $31.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

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

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.