Strs Ohio Lowers Stock Holdings in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Strs Ohio sharply cut its stake in Mueller Water Products by 85.9% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 6,500 shares worth about $155,000.
• Analysts are mostly cautious but constructive on MWA, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.25. Recent ratings ranged from neutral/sector perform to outperform, with targets between $29 and $33.
• The company remains actively traded by insiders and institutions, with 91.68% of shares owned by hedge funds and other institutions. Recent insider moves included a director buying 25,000 shares and an SVP selling 10,720 shares.

Strs Ohio decreased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 85.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 39,600 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio's holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 59.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 69,739 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,661,000 after buying an additional 26,082 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 266.7% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 92,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 11,023 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth $1,517,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 9,151 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 901 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MWA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated 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 shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.25.

Insider Activity

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack bought 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $29.58 per share, for a total transaction of $739,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $739,500. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,780,209.97. This represents a 14.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE MWA opened at $25.86 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $28.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.65. The company has a current ratio of 4.57, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.08. Mueller Water Products has a 12-month low of $22.74 and a 12-month high of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 22.11%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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