BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 77,772 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 347,199 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,772 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.22% of Mueller Water Products worth $7,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 162,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 19,936 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.9% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 43,722 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $783,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 1.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 87,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 10,791 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.40, for a total value of $263,300.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 136,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,328,282. This represents a 7.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 3,556 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.02, for a total value of $88,971.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $967,848.66. This represents a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA traded down $0.09 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $25.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 273,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,246,848. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.12 and a 200-day moving average of $20.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.37. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.40 and a 12 month high of $26.28.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 19.38% and a net margin of 8.82%. The company had revenue of $348.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $324.80 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Mueller Water Products's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen cut shares of Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Mueller Water Products from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Mueller Water Products from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $27.00 price target (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.20.

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.