Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Trims Position in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Gamco Investors trimmed its Mueller Water Products stake by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 45,957 shares and ending with 2,566,076 shares valued at about $61.1 million.
• Several other institutional investors were active in MWA, with firms like Royal Bank of Canada and AQR Capital Management increasing their positions. Overall, 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Mueller Water Products recently reported quarterly EPS of $2.16 and revenue of $1.19 billion, while also declaring a $0.07 per share quarterly dividend. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with an average price target of $31.25.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL trimmed its position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,566,076 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 45,957 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned 1.64% of Mueller Water Products worth $61,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 25.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,043 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,890,000 after purchasing an additional 30,862 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 87.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 122,472 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 57,053 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the first quarter worth $205,000. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the first quarter worth $212,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 10.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 572,686 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,558,000 after purchasing an additional 56,404 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $295,979.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,780,209.97. This represents a 14.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $29.58 per share, for a total transaction of $739,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $739,500. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $25.50 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.57 and a quick ratio of 2.92. 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 $27.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.65.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.17%. Sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $32.00 price target (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.25.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.