Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 14,800 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Gabelli Funds LLC decreased its holdings in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 738,265 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,800 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.47% of Mueller Water Products worth $16,611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MWA. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 361.6% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $2,137,000 after acquiring an additional 77,467 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 7.7% in the 4th 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 position in Mueller Water Products by 57.9% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp lifted its position in Mueller Water Products by 12.4% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total transaction of $275,294.36. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $457,552.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,391,464.53. This represents a 11.89 % 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of 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. 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 increased their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $25.80.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MWA traded down $0.70 on Monday, hitting $24.32. The company had a trading volume of 225,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,575,766. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $25.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.83 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.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.23%.

Mueller Water Products Company 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.