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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Mueller Water Products from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a mixed but slightly positive analyst backdrop for the stock.
• MWA was trading around $25.06, up 0.7% on the day, with a market cap of about $3.92 billion and a recent 12-month range of $22.74 to $31.00.
• The company reported Q1 earnings of $2.16 per share on revenue of $1.19 billion, while insider and institutional activity showed continued buying interest, including a director purchase and several large fund stake increases.

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

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on MWA. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.7%

MWA opened at $25.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.57 and a quick ratio of 2.92. Mueller Water Products has a 12-month low of $22.74 and a 12-month high of $31.00. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $25.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.98.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.17%.The company had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,183 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.33 per share, with a total value of $29,965.39. Following the purchase, the director owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $631,882.18. The trade was a 4.98% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 10.4% in the second 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 period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 30.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 888,975 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $24,438,000 after purchasing an additional 205,269 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 58.6% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,934,813 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,217,000 after purchasing an additional 714,913 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 32,563 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 3,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter worth $199,000. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

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.

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