Marshall Wace LLP Has $2.33 Million Stock Holdings in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 83.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 103,356 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 538,087 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.07% of Mueller Water Products worth $2,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2,962.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,015,009 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $67,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,916,552 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 79.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,014,131 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $90,318,000 after buying an additional 1,780,366 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $20,996,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 514.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 970,055 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,826,000 after acquiring an additional 812,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,618,782 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $197,456,000 after purchasing an additional 791,569 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Mueller Water Products stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $27.14. The company had a trading volume of 173,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,131,148. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.52, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.63 and a 200-day moving average of $24.50. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.14 and a 52 week high of $28.58.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MWA has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $25.80.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total value of $275,294.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,408.48. This represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $457,552.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,464.53. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.