Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Stock Holdings Boosted by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,954,587 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 378,356 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.83% of Mueller Water Products worth $381,478,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 468.1% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 36.9% in 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 buying an additional 1,757 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Mueller Water Products

In related news, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 7,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,408.48. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut Mueller Water Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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 note on Thursday, February 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $25.80.

Mueller Water Products Trading Down 4.3 %

Shares of NYSE MWA traded down $1.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $23.27. 2,125,693 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,575,238. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $25.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.01. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.81 and a 52-week high of $28.58.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.067 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Mueller Water Products's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.23%.

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.