Oxford Asset Management LLP Makes New Investment in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 13,924 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 361.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,775,000 after acquiring an additional 208,502 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth about $414,000. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 25,448 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 12,724 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Mueller Water Products by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,618,782 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $197,456,000 after acquiring an additional 791,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,137,000 after buying an additional 77,467 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MWA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company 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 research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $25.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products 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 value of $457,552.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 126,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total transaction of $275,294.36. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $182,408.48. This represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE MWA traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $26.59. 1,098,406 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,579,773. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $25.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.48. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a one year low of $15.92 and a one year high of $28.58. The company has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.26.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.23%.

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.