Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Director Purchases $24,886.80 in Stock

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,115 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $22.32 per share, for a total transaction of $24,886.80. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,044.80. This trade represents a 22.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE:MWA opened at $22.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.49 and a 1 year high of $26.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.94 and a 200-day moving average of $21.68.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 19.38% and a net margin of 8.82%. The firm had revenue of $348.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $324.80 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.19 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.067 dividend. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 target price (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,137,000 after purchasing an additional 77,467 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 361.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,775,000 after buying an additional 208,502 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 19.8% during the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,467,000 after acquiring an additional 64,399 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the third quarter valued at $451,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 399.0% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,962,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,369,055 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products, Inc manufactures and markets products and services for the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water used by municipalities, and the residential and non-residential construction industries in the United States, Israel, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Water Flow Solutions and Water Management Solutions.