Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $29.94 and last traded at $29.44, with a volume of 1494989 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up previously from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.33.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.02 and a quick ratio of 2.55. The stock has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.70, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.17.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $318.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.26 million. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 22.34%. Mueller Water Products’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.41 per share, with a total value of $27,461.25. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 17,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,549.25. The trade was a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total transaction of $371,614.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,115,276.54. The trade was a 14.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mueller Water Products

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MWA. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 131.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 266.7% in the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 112.5% during the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,294 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

Mueller Water Products, Inc is a leading provider of water infrastructure and flow control products and services designed to help water utilities and municipalities manage, control and measure their water distribution systems. The company’s portfolio includes a comprehensive range of products such as fire hydrants, valves, pipe repair systems, fittings and couplings, along with advanced metering and monitoring solutions. By combining traditional mechanical components with digital technologies, Mueller Water Products addresses the critical need for reliable and sustainable water distribution across North America.

The company’s operations are organized around two primary business segments.