Graham Capital Management L.P. Has $1.08 Million Stock Position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Graham Capital Management L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 69.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 47,772 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 106,163 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $1,075,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 45,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 42,929 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,255 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MWA has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.25.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MWA traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,345,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,575,119. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.83. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.09 and a fifty-two week high of $28.58. The business's 50 day moving average price is $25.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.75. The company has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.81, 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 quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $364.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $352.30 million. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 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 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Mueller Water Products's payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total value of $457,552.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,085 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.32 per share, for a total transaction of $27,472.20. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $370,178.40. This trade represents a 8.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,600 shares of company stock valued at $914,076. 1.10% of the stock is currently 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.