Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Price Target Cut to $24.00 by Analysts at Barclays

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) had its target price decreased by Barclays from $25.00 to $24.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen cut Mueller Water Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Mueller Water Products from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Mueller Water Products from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 price objective on Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.80.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 2.3%

MWA stock traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,718,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,387,804. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.99. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $20.90 and a 12 month high of $31.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $22.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.80.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.01. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 23.55%. The business had revenue of $376.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. Mueller Water Products’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 22nd that allows the company to buy back $300 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 8.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This is an increase from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.86%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,376 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $21.75 per share, with a total value of $29,928.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 26,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,503.50. This trade represents a 5.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Paul McAndrew sold 40,000 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.39, for a total value of $1,055,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,556 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,052.84. The trade was a 48.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 52,598 shares of company stock valued at $1,360,685 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,036,679 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $165,948,000 after buying an additional 1,530,193 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the second quarter valued at $28,496,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Mueller Water Products by 58.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,934,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,217,000 after acquiring an additional 714,913 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Mueller Water Products by 354.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 588,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $16,187,000 after acquiring an additional 459,393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 30.0% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 888,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,438,000 after acquiring an additional 205,269 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Mueller Water Products News

Here are the key news stories impacting Mueller Water Products this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mueller beat quarterly EPS expectations, and coverage highlighted record earnings; an earnings-news report also noted the stock initially rose following the EPS beat. Mueller Water Products Jumps 6.1% on EPS Beat Record Earnings Might Change The Case For Investing in Mueller Water Products
• Neutral Sentiment: Management plans to present at the Baird 2026 Global Industrial Conference on November 11, offering a near-term opportunity to discuss the business and outlook, but no new operating update was included in the announcement. Conference Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beating quarterly sales expectations, Mueller’s full-year sales guidance reportedly fell significantly short of expectations, raising concerns about future growth and potentially tempering the positive earnings reaction. Sales and Guidance Report
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target from $25 to $24 and maintained an “underweight” rating, reinforcing a cautious view of the shares. Barclays Rating

About Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products, Inc (NYSE:MWA) manufactures products and provides services used in the treatment, transmission, distribution, and measurement of water. Its customers include municipalities, water utilities, distributors, contractors, and industrial organizations.

The company’s product portfolio includes water valves, fire hydrants, pipe fittings, repair and connection products, and related infrastructure equipment. Through its Echologics business, Mueller also provides acoustic leak-detection technologies and other solutions designed to help utilities monitor and manage water distribution systems.

Mueller Water Products traces its history to Mueller Co, which was founded in 1857.