Janus Henderson Group PLC Buys 190,878 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 273.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 260,704 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 190,878 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.17% of Mueller Water Products worth $5,865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gen Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 43.4% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 125,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,817,000 after purchasing an additional 37,891 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 217,415 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,892,000 after purchasing an additional 42,451 shares during the last quarter. Crestline Management LP bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter valued at about $345,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 40.7% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 802,878 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,065,000 after purchasing an additional 232,195 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.7%

Mueller Water Products stock traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,014,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,568,926. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.85. The firm has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.24. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.09 and a 12-month high of $28.58.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 21.18% and a net margin of 10.05%. The firm had revenue of $364.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $352.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,085 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.32 per share, for a total transaction of $27,472.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $370,178.40. This trade represents a 8.02% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total value of $457,552.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at $3,391,464.53. This represents a 11.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,600 shares of company stock valued at $914,076. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.25.

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.