LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Acquires Shares of 10,582 Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. acquired a new stake 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 acquired 10,582 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,137,000 after buying an additional 77,467 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised 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 valued at $5,775,000 after acquiring an additional 208,502 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 19.8% during the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,467,000 after acquiring an additional 64,399 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the third quarter worth $451,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 28.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 347,199 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,534,000 after purchasing an additional 77,772 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA traded up $0.21 on Friday, hitting $25.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,148,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,225,982. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a PE ratio of 29.16, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.16. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.81 and a 1 year high of $28.25.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 company earned $0.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.067 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In related news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total transaction of $653,188.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,378 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $234,356.22. This trade represents a 73.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the business'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 owns 7,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $182,408.48. The trade was a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $27.00 price target (up from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $25.80.

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.