Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02, Zacks reports. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. Mueller Water Products’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Mueller Water Products Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE MWA traded up $0.33 on Tuesday, hitting $27.56. 863,456 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,169,069. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.40 and a 200 day moving average of $26.62. Mueller Water Products has a twelve month low of $22.74 and a twelve month high of $31.00. The company has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 4.02, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price objective (up from $30.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price objective on Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 10,720 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $295,979.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 64,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,780,209.97. This represents a 14.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $29.58 per share, for a total transaction of $739,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mueller Water Products

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 398.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,196 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,755 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 677.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 2,792 shares during the period. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mueller Water Products Company 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.