Nicholas Investment Partners LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Nicholas Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 264,267 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,662 shares during the period. Nicholas Investment Partners LP owned 0.17% of Mueller Water Products worth $5,946,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 361.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,775,000 after buying an additional 208,502 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $146,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 87.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,167 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 4,275 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $1,573,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Mueller Water Products stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $25.42. The company had a trading volume of 142,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,571,634. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 29.55, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 2.38. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a one year low of $17.09 and a one year high of $28.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $25.62 and a 200 day moving average of $24.79.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $364.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $352.30 million. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.067 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.25.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $457,552.84. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,085 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.32 per share, with a total value of $27,472.20. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $370,178.40. The trade was a 8.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 35,600 shares of company stock valued at $914,076 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Mueller Water Products

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.