Legato Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA)

Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 42.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,848 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 14,226 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC's holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $1,216,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 171.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 73.1% in the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 184.6% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 1.5%

MWA stock traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $25.12. The company had a trading volume of 947,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,272,404. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a current ratio of 3.79. Mueller Water Products has a fifty-two week low of $18.55 and a fifty-two week high of $28.58. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.95.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $364.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $352.30 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. Analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.067 dividend. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Mueller Water Products's payout ratio is currently 28.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,110 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $24.74 per share, for a total transaction of $27,461.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Slobodow sold 7,376 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total value of $181,228.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by 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.