Freedom Investment Management Inc. Takes Position in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products, purchasing 19,823 shares valued at approximately $504,000 in the first quarter.
• Mueller Water Products reported a quarterly EPS of $0.34, missing estimates by $0.01, while its revenue was up 6.6% year-over-year at $380.30 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.067 per share, equating to an annual yield of 1.0% and a payout ratio of 27.66%.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 19,823 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $504,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 70,206 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,580,000 after buying an additional 4,292 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth $203,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 94,813 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,133,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 171.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 67.3% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 19,322 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 7,775 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $26.34. The stock had a trading volume of 801,532 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,094,306. The company has a current ratio of 3.86, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.19. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $19.23 and a 1 year high of $28.58. The business's 50 day moving average price is $25.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.29.

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 net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 20.89%. The company had revenue of $380.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $366.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Mueller Water Products has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.067 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is 28.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,110 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.74 per share, with a total value of $27,461.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 15,730 shares in the company, valued at $389,160.20. This trade represents a 7.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Hansen sold 24,005 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.15, for a total value of $627,730.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 86,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,253,162.45. This trade represents a 21.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,914 shares of company stock valued at $889,727 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mueller Water Products 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.