SG Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 302,192 Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 302,192 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,799,000. SG Capital Management LLC owned about 0.19% of Mueller Water Products at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 45,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 42,929 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,255 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $457,552.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,391,464.53. This trade represents a 11.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,085 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.32 per share, with a total value of $27,472.20. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 14,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $370,178.40. This represents a 8.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 35,600 shares of company stock worth $914,076. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on MWA shares. StockNews.com lowered Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $26.25.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of MWA traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $24.70. The company had a trading volume of 343,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,482. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.83. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.09 and a 52 week high of $28.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $25.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.82.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Mueller Water Products 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.