Algert Global LLC Raises Position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 31.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 705,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 167,657 shares during the period. Mueller Water Products makes up 0.4% of Algert Global LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Algert Global LLC’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $15,868,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MWA. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,954,587 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $381,478,000 after buying an additional 378,356 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Mueller Water Products by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,618,782 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $197,456,000 after acquiring an additional 791,569 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,174,938 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $93,936,000 after purchasing an additional 596,956 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 79.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,014,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,366 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,248,990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,102,000 after purchasing an additional 220,025 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total value of $457,552.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,391,464.53. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 owns 7,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $182,408.48. This represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MWA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price 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. StockNews.com downgraded Mueller Water Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.80.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of MWA stock opened at $27.23 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.55. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.37 and a 52 week high of $28.58. The stock has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.66, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.13 EPS. Analysts predict that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.067 dividend. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.23%.

Mueller Water Products 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.