Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Stock Price Down 5.2% – Should You Sell?
by Amy Steele · The Cerbat GemShares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA – Get Free Report) were down 5.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $27.62 and last traded at $27.5470. Approximately 578,084 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 1,148,041 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.07.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have commented on MWA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.33.
Read Our Latest Report on Mueller Water Products
Mueller Water Products Stock Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 4.02. The company has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.45.
Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 22.34%. The business had revenue of $318.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.26 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.
Insider Transactions at Mueller Water Products
In related news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $295,979.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,780,209.97. This trade represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack acquired 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $29.58 per share, with a total value of $739,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $739,500. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $692,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 930,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $23,739,000 after buying an additional 357,087 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,781,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 106.6% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 71,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,814,000 after buying an additional 36,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,118,795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,592,000 after buying an additional 330,231 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 is a leading provider of water infrastructure and flow control products and services designed to help water utilities and municipalities manage, control and measure their water distribution systems. The company’s portfolio includes a comprehensive range of products such as fire hydrants, valves, pipe repair systems, fittings and couplings, along with advanced metering and monitoring solutions. By combining traditional mechanical components with digital technologies, Mueller Water Products addresses the critical need for reliable and sustainable water distribution across North America.
The company’s operations are organized around two primary business segments.