Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Stock Price

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) had its price objective hoisted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $30.00 to $31.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on MWA. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price target (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.25.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of Mueller Water Products stock traded down $0.35 on Thursday, reaching $26.54. The stock had a trading volume of 412,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,171,961. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $22.74 and a 1 year high of $31.00. The company has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 4.57, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $28.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.65.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. The business 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.45 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $29.58 per share, for a total transaction of $739,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $739,500. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total value of $295,979.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,780,209.97. The trade was a 14.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $692,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 62.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 930,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $23,739,000 after buying an additional 357,087 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 998.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 387,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,220,000 after buying an additional 351,819 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 429,580 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,233,000 after buying an additional 39,656 shares during the period. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 106.6% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 71,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,814,000 after buying an additional 36,671 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Company 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.