Castleark Management LLC Sells 15,580 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Castleark Management LLC lowered its stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 369,400 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,580 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Mueller Water Products worth $8,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MWA. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA traded up $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.58. 1,014,817 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,570,229. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.85. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.09 and a fifty-two week high of $28.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.09%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total value of $275,294.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $182,408.48. The trade was a 60.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,085 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.32 per share, for a total transaction of $27,472.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $370,178.40. The trade was a 8.02% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,600 shares of company stock worth $914,076. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.25.

About Mueller Water Products

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.