Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Director Brian Healy Purchases 1,376 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Director Brian Healy purchased 1,376 Mueller Water Products shares at $21.75 each, investing $29,928 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and increasing his direct ownership by 5.52%.
• Mueller Water Products reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, beating estimates of $0.39, while revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $395.9 million. The company also pays a $0.07 quarterly dividend, representing a 1.3% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock holding an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $27.40; shares recently traded near $21.67.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) Director Brian Healy bought 1,376 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $21.75 per share, for a total transaction of $29,928.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 26,322 shares in the company, valued at $572,503.50. This represents a 5.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

MWA stock traded up $0.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $21.67. 812,941 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,219,512. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $20.90 and a 1-year high of $31.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.01. The company's fifty day moving average price is $23.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.49. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $395.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.49 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 23.55% and a net margin of 15.02%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MWA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 target price on Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Mueller Water Products from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Mueller Water Products in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $27.40.

Institutional Trading of Mueller Water Products

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the second quarter valued at $43,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 89.5% during the 1st quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 2nd quarter worth $60,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the first quarter worth $121,000. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products, Inc develops and manufactures products used to build, maintain and monitor water transmission and distribution systems. Its offerings help utilities and other infrastructure operators control water flow, connect and repair pipelines, manage pressure and identify leaks.

The company's product portfolio includes water valves, fire hydrants, pipe fittings and repair products, metering and monitoring systems, leak-detection technologies, and related flow-control equipment.

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