Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE MWA opened at $24.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.83. The company has a market capitalization of $3.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.96 and a 200-day moving average of $24.83. Mueller Water Products has a 52-week low of $17.09 and a 52-week high of $28.58.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released 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. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. The firm had revenue of $364.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $352.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total value of $457,552.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,085 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.32 per share, with a total value of $27,472.20. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 14,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $370,178.40. This represents a 8.02% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 171.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 73.1% in the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 184.6% during the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Company 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.

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