Dark Forest Capital Management LP Sells 69,406 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP lessened its position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 35.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 127,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 69,406 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.08% of Mueller Water Products worth $2,862,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 361.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,775,000 after buying an additional 208,502 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,137,000 after acquiring an additional 77,467 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 697,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $15,696,000 after purchasing an additional 50,119 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 57.9% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 31,931 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 11,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 199,716 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,494,000 after purchasing an additional 22,045 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 4.0 %

Mueller Water Products stock opened at $25.16 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.76 and a 1-year high of $28.58. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.34. The company has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $182,408.48. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,464.53. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MWA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.

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