Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.20.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Mueller Water Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mueller Water Products news, CEO Paul Mcandrew sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.39, for a total value of $1,055,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 42,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,052.84. This represents a 48.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,183 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.33 per share, with a total value of $29,965.39. Following the acquisition, the director owned 24,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $631,882.18. This trade represents a 4.98% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MWA. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,522,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 3.8% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 12,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products during the second quarter worth about $43,000. Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products during the second quarter worth about $5,091,000. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products in the second quarter valued at about $2,613,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:MWA opened at $25.10 on Friday. 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 4.64, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.95. The firm has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.80, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.03.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.11. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 23.55% and a net margin of 15.02%.The firm had revenue of $395.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.49 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.86%.

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.