Vanguard Group Inc. Has $381.48 Million Position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,954,587 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 378,356 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.83% of Mueller Water Products worth $381,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MWA. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in Mueller Water Products by 117.6% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 203,942 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,426,000 after purchasing an additional 110,227 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Mueller Water Products by 1.5% during 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. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 908,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $19,725,000 after acquiring an additional 37,095 shares in the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,113,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $681,000. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at $3,391,464.53. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 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. The trade was a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $25.80.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MWA traded down $0.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $22.84. 2,349,580 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,581,672. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a one year low of $14.81 and a one year high of $28.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $25.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.09. The company has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.26.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 EPS 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 previous year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid 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 1.17%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.23%.

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.