Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Short Interest Update

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,968,675 shares, a growth of 37.3% from the December 15th total of 2,891,419 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,362,109 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,362,109 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.00.

Insider Transactions at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.41 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,549.25. The trade was a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total transaction of $371,614.28. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,115,276.54. This represents a 14.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 19.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,825,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $140,042,000 after acquiring an additional 945,258 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 66.1% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,535,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,203,088 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 21.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,449,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $106,987,000 after purchasing an additional 796,596 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 11.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,118,795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,592,000 after purchasing an additional 330,231 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 112.2% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,267,340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198,801 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 0.0%

MWA stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $26.37. 1,620,668 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 966,139. The company has a quick ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $24.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.14. Mueller Water Products has a 52 week low of $22.01 and a 52 week high of $28.58. The company has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.18.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.75%. The firm had revenue of $380.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $362.32 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.14%.

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.