Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Mueller Water Products to “Buy” from “Hold,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $30.20.
• 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.
• Shares opened at $26.65, and institutional investors own a substantial 91.68% of the company; a company director also recently purchased nearly $30,000 of stock.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on MWA. Weiss Ratings cut Mueller Water Products from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Mueller Water Products from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.20.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of MWA stock opened at $26.65 on Monday. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $22.74 and a 1-year high of $31.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $25.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.64 and a quick ratio of 3.08.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,183 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.33 per share, with a total value of $29,965.39. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at $631,882.18. This trade represents a 4.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,808 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 35,732 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $851,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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