Amundi Reduces Stock Holdings in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Amundi reduced its Mueller Water Products position by 3.8% in the first quarter, selling 90,138 shares and retaining 2.26 million shares valued at approximately $62.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 91.68% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with ratings spanning Buy, Hold, and Sell; the stock carries a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $30, compared with a recent price of $25.30.
• Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,183 shares under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, while Mueller declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07 per share, equivalent to a 1.1% annualized yield.

Amundi trimmed its position in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,261,635 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 90,138 shares during the period. Amundi owned 1.45% of Mueller Water Products worth $62,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MWA. Danske Bank A S lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 266.7% during the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Mueller Water Products by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,183 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.33 per share, for a total transaction of $29,965.39. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at $631,882.18. The trade was a 4.98% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MWA. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mueller Water Products from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $25.30 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.43 and a 200 day moving average of $27.01. The company has a current ratio of 4.57, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.03. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $22.74 and a 12 month high of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 22.11%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.37%.

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.

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