Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $82.32 Million Position in Mueller Water Products $MWA

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,225,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 270,520 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $82,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 131.8% during 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. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 112.5% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,294 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 31.0% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 355.4% during the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 2,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the second quarter valued at approximately $71,000. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.00.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Shares of Mueller Water Products stock opened at $27.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $25.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.17. Mueller Water Products has a 52 week low of $22.01 and a 52 week high of $28.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 3.54.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $380.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $362.32 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.75% and a net margin of 13.41%.The company’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is currently 23.14%.

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.