KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 31,000 Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 31,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $698,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,730 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 55.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,056,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,274,000 after buying an additional 730,442 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 18,903 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 3,849 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 17,030 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $383,000 after acquiring an additional 8,326 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

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Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of MWA traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $23.27. 2,125,693 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,317,090. 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 52-week low of $14.81 and a 52-week high of $28.58. The company has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.05, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.01.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.067 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 sale, the director now owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,464.53. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total transaction of $275,294.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.