Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 27.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,820 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,512 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Mueller Water Products worth $2,561,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2,962.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,015,009 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,838,000 after acquiring an additional 2,916,552 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 79.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,014,131 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $90,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,366 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $20,996,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 514.2% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 970,055 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,826,000 after purchasing an additional 812,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,618,782 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $197,456,000 after buying an additional 791,569 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE MWA traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $24.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,947,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,587,068. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.09 and a 52-week high of $28.58. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.61.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Mueller Water Products's payout ratio is currently 30.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total value of $275,294.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $182,408.48. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,600 shares of company stock worth $914,076. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $26.25.

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.