Impax Asset Management Group plc Has $103.07 Million Stock Position in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Impax Asset Management Group plc lessened its position in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,580,816 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,157,922 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $103,068,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,137,000 after purchasing an additional 77,467 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 361.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 266,155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,775,000 after buying an additional 208,502 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 19.8% during the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,467,000 after acquiring an additional 64,399 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products during the 3rd quarter worth about $451,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 347,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,534,000 after acquiring an additional 77,772 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MWA. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.80.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total value of $653,188.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $234,356.22. This trade represents a 73.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 57,948 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.69, for a total value of $1,488,684.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 43,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,110,424.56. This trade represents a 57.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 4.5 %

MWA stock opened at $25.29 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.88. The company has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.83. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.81 and a fifty-two week high of $28.25.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share 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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.067 dividend. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.23%.

Mueller Water Products Company 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.