Mueller Water Products Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.07 (NYSE:MWA)

Key Points

• Mueller Water Products declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07 per share, payable August 20 to shareholders of record on August 10. The dividend implies an annualized yield of approximately 1.1% and marks the company’s 10th consecutive year of increases.
• The dividend appears well covered, with a current payout ratio of 20.7%; analysts expect next year’s earnings to support an estimated payout ratio of 17.5%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with Mueller carrying an average “Hold” rating and a $30 price target. Recent targets range from $25 at Barclays to $31 at RBC.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 28th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of 0.07 per share by the industrial products company on Thursday, August 20th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th.

Mueller Water Products has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 10 years. Mueller Water Products has a dividend payout ratio of 20.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Mueller Water Products to earn $1.60 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.28 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.5%.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Shares of MWA opened at $25.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 4.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.03. The company's fifty day moving average is $25.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.01. Mueller Water Products has a 1 year low of $22.74 and a 1 year high of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MWA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Mueller Water Products from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.00.

About Mueller Water Products

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.