Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $4.91 Million Position in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 147.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 178,452 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 106,475 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $4,906,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MWA. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter valued at $1,571,000. Van Diest Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the first quarter worth $406,000. Inceptionr LLC increased its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 63.7% in the first quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 17,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 6,698 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the first quarter valued at about $1,516,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the first quarter valued at about $121,000. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,183 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.33 per share, for a total transaction of $29,965.39. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,946 shares in the company, valued at $631,882.18. This represents a 4.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 1.4%

MWA opened at $25.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.03. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $22.74 and a 12 month high of $31.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.57, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Mueller Water Products from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 target price on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.00.

Mueller Water Products 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.