Aberdeen Group plc Invests $13.92 Million in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc invested approximately $13.92 million in Mueller Water Products, acquiring 547,533 shares, which represents about 0.35% of the company's stock.
• Mueller Water Products will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.067 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.0%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 12.
• The company's recent earnings report showed a miss on EPS estimates, reporting $0.34 versus an expected $0.35, while revenue increased by 6.6% year-over-year.

Aberdeen Group plc purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 547,533 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $13,918,000. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.35% of Mueller Water Products at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 73.1% in the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the first quarter worth $42,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 184.6% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 171.8% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $26.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.18. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $19.23 and a 1 year high of $28.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $24.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.26. The company has a current ratio of 3.86, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.01). Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 10.67%. The business had revenue of $380.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $366.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is 28.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Thomas J. Hansen sold 24,005 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.15, for a total transaction of $627,730.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 86,163 shares in the company, valued at $2,253,162.45. This represents a 21.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 8,621 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.37, for a total transaction of $227,335.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,067.57. This trade represents a 91.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th.

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.

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