Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.80.

MWA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE:MWA opened at $25.51 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.39. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $14.81 and a 1 year high of $28.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.86.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 21.18% and a net margin of 10.05%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.13 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total value of $457,552.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 126,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total transaction of $275,294.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $182,408.48. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,137,000 after buying an additional 77,467 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 208,502 shares in the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,467,000 after purchasing an additional 64,399 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 697,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,696,000 after purchasing an additional 50,119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 347,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,534,000 after purchasing an additional 77,772 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

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.