Vest Financial LLC Invests $1.52 Million in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC purchased a new 63,681‑share stake in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) in Q4, valued at approximately $1.52 million.
• Mueller beat Q4 estimates, reporting $0.29 EPS vs. $0.27 expected and revenue of $318.2 million (up 4.6% year‑over‑year), with analysts projecting about 1.45 EPS for the fiscal year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.07 (annualized $0.28, ~1.0% yield) payable May 20, while director Gregg C. Sengstack bought 25,000 shares at about $29.58 and an SVP sold 10,720 shares.

Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 63,681 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,517,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MWA. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 131.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 398.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,196 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,755 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 2,792 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MWA stock opened at $27.90 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $28.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.59. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $22.74 and a 1-year high of $31.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.02 and a quick ratio of 2.55.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $318.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.26 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.Mueller Water Products's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $739,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 value of $295,979.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,780,209.97. This trade represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is currently 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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