Trexquant Investment LP Has $9.06 Million Stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Trexquant Investment LP lessened its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 35.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 402,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 219,768 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.26% of Mueller Water Products worth $9,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at $63,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth about $100,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 468.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 5,408 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 4,456 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 6,514 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 1,757 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on 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 increased their target price on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $25.80.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

MWA stock traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $23.27. The company had a trading volume of 2,125,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,575,238. 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 one year low of $14.81 and a one year high of $28.58. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $25.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.39.

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 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 company posted $0.13 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current 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 given 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%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 7,376 shares in the company, valued at $182,408.48. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $457,552.84. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Mueller Water Products

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.