Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stake in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its stake in Mueller Water Products by 0.7% in Q4 to 19,452,025 shares (12.44% ownership) worth about $463.3 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 91.68% of the company.
• Mueller reported strong quarterly results with $2.16 EPS, $1.19 billion in revenue, a 22.34% ROE and a 13.83% net margin; analysts give a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $31.33.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07 per share (1.0% yield, ex-dividend May 11), while insiders showed mixed activity: the SVP sold 10,720 shares and a director purchased 25,000 shares.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,452,025 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 137,141 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.44% of Mueller Water Products worth $463,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MWA. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 131.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 398.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,196 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,755 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 31.0% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 677.7% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 2,792 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Mueller Water Products stock opened at $27.56 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $28.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.62. The company has a quick ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 4.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $4.31 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.08. Mueller Water Products has a twelve month low of $22.74 and a twelve month high of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products's payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,780,209.97. This represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack acquired 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at $739,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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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