Fiduciary Management Inc. WI Invests $75.40 Million in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Fiduciary Management Inc. WI disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Mueller Water Products, buying 3.17 million shares valued at about $75.4 million. The stake represented roughly 2.02% ownership of the company.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 91.68% of Mueller Water Products stock held by institutional investors. Recent filings also showed several other firms increasing or initiating positions in the stock.
• Insider activity was mixed: SVP Todd P. Helms sold shares, while Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,166 shares under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. Analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $31.25.

Fiduciary Management Inc. WI purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,165,392 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $75,400,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI owned about 2.02% of Mueller Water Products as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MWA. Danske Bank A S lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 266.7% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 398.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,196 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 1,755 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 677.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 2,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,617 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total value of $295,979.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,780,209.97. This trade represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.75 per share, for a total transaction of $30,024.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,763 shares in the company, valued at $611,897.25. The trade was a 5.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $32.00 price target (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $25.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a PE ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.03. The company's 50-day moving average price is $27.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.69. Mueller Water Products has a fifty-two week low of $22.74 and a fifty-two week high of $31.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 4.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 22.11%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.37%.

Mueller Water Products Profile

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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