Lightrock Netherlands B.V. Acquires 51,000 Shares of Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Lightrock Netherlands boosted its Mueller Water Products stake by 11.4%, buying 51,000 shares to hold 496,784 shares (about 0.32% of MWA), worth $11.83 million and representing 1.2% of Lightrock’s portfolio.
• Multiple large institutions — including American Century, Amundi, Millennium and Assenagon — materially increased their MWA positions, leaving institutional ownership at approximately 91.68%.
• Analysts rate MWA a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $31.33; recent analyst targets include $33 (Baird), $32 (Oppenheimer) and $29 (RBC).

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 496,784 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 51,000 shares during the quarter. Mueller Water Products makes up about 1.2% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned approximately 0.32% of Mueller Water Products worth $11,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 11.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,118,795 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $79,592,000 after buying an additional 330,231 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 112.2% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,267,340 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $58,099,000 after buying an additional 1,198,801 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 31.7% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,727,092 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $44,075,000 after purchasing an additional 415,654 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 525.9% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,393,293 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 0.5% during the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,305,231 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,309,000 after purchasing an additional 6,379 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MWA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $32.00 price target (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.33.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

MWA stock opened at $29.19 on Thursday. Mueller Water Products has a one year low of $22.74 and a one year high of $31.00. The company's fifty day moving average price is $28.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 4.02. The company has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.16.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 22.34%. The firm had revenue of $318.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.26 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Mueller Water Products Company 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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