California State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 38,425 Shares of Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its Mueller Water Products stake by 25.9%, acquiring 38,425 shares to own 186,529 shares valued at approximately $5.13 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 91.68% of the company.
• Mueller Water Products reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, beating consensus estimates of $0.39, while revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $395.9 million. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $30.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07 per share, equal to an annualized $0.28 payout and a 1.0% yield; director Brian C. Healy also purchased 1,183 shares under a Rule 10b5-1 plan.

California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 25.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 186,529 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,425 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.12% of Mueller Water Products worth $5,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,808 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 47.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 35,732 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,672 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,183 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.33 per share, with a total value of $29,965.39. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 24,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $631,882.18. This trade represents a 4.98% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MWA. Weiss Ratings lowered 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 restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:MWA opened at $27.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.57 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The company has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.03. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $22.74 and a 1 year high of $31.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $25.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.03.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $395.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.49 million. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 24.10%. Mueller Water Products's revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.34 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is 19.86%.

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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