Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 62.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 930,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 357,087 shares during the quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $23,739,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 66.1% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,535,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,203,088 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 525.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,393,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,683 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 19.4% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,825,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $140,042,000 after buying an additional 945,258 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 21.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,449,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,987,000 after buying an additional 796,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 344.1% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 945,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,733,000 after buying an additional 732,669 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Shares of MWA stock opened at $29.96 on Friday. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $22.01 and a 12 month high of $30.47. The stock has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 4.02, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $26.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.73.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on MWA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price target (up previously from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Brian C. Healy purchased 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.41 per share, with a total value of $27,461.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,925 shares in the company, valued at $437,549.25. This trade represents a 6.70% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.72, for a total value of $318,598.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 75,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,234,854.84. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Mueller Water Products

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.