Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 27.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 291,965 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 109,718 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.19% of Mueller Water Products worth $6,570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2,962.3% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,015,009 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,838,000 after acquiring an additional 2,916,552 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,618,782 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $197,456,000 after purchasing an additional 791,569 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,644,603 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,004,000 after purchasing an additional 662,637 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,757,000. Finally, Lightrock Netherlands B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,780,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company's stock.

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Mueller Water Products Price Performance

MWA traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $26.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,936,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,452,889. The stock has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.39. The business's 50-day moving average price is $25.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.80. 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 12 month low of $14.81 and a 12 month high of $28.58.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. Mueller Water Products's payout ratio is presently 30.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $3,391,464.53. This represents a 11.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $275,294.36. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,376 shares in the company, valued at $182,408.48. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MWA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $25.80.

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.