Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MWA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE MWA traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $15.50. 650,792 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 712,938. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $12.11 and a 1-year high of $16.93. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $15.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 3.29.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The industrial products company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.04. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The firm had revenue of $256.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.64 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Mueller Water Products's revenue was down 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.064 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Mueller Water Products's payout ratio is 52.00%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, SVP Kenji Takeuchi sold 6,658 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.62, for a total transaction of $103,997.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 34,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $534,141.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 2,800 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.09, for a total transaction of $42,252.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,408.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kenji Takeuchi sold 6,658 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.62, for a total transaction of $103,997.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $534,141.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,463 shares of company stock worth $1,218,642. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 3rd quarter worth $213,000. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 2nd quarter worth about $8,131,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 159,471 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,022,000 after purchasing an additional 1,110 shares during the last quarter. Pearl River Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth about $408,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,440,275 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,943,000 after purchasing an additional 582,795 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.