Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Sells 2,799 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lessened its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,341 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,799 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $1,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 2,962.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,015,009 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,916,552 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $197,456,000 after buying an additional 791,569 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,644,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,004,000 after buying an additional 662,637 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter worth about $12,757,000. Finally, Lightrock Netherlands B.V. bought a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,780,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 17,092 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 126,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,391,464.53. The trade was a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Brian Slobodow sold 11,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.73, for a total transaction of $275,294.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $182,408.48. The trade was a 60.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $27.90 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $24.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.39. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a one year low of $14.81 and a one year high of $28.26.

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

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.067 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Mueller Water Products’s payout ratio is 30.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MWA. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.80.

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.