637,801 Shares in Mueller Water Products $MWA Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 637,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,192,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,890,000 after buying an additional 30,862 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 87.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 122,472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,113,000 after buying an additional 57,053 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter worth about $205,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter worth about $212,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 572,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,558,000 after buying an additional 56,404 shares during the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Mueller Water Products from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total value of $295,979.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,780,209.97. The trade was a 14.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,166 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.75 per share, for a total transaction of $30,024.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,897.25. This represents a 5.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 Stock Performance

NYSE MWA opened at $26.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.03. Mueller Water Products has a 1-year low of $22.74 and a 1-year high of $31.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.57 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.75.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is currently 21.37%.

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.