Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) Shares Sold by Central Pacific Bank Trust Division

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lowered its position in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products in the second quarter valued at about $72,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 44.2% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 341.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 4,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 434.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,892 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 3,977 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total transaction of $653,188.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $234,356.22. This represents a 73.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 10,791 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.40, for a total transaction of $263,300.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 136,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,328,282. This represents a 7.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 98,433 shares of company stock valued at $2,494,144. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Mueller Water Products stock opened at $22.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 2.16. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.49 and a 12 month high of $26.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.55. The company has a market cap of $3.50 billion, a PE ratio of 30.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.38.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. The business had revenue of $348.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $324.80 million. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 8.82% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.19 EPS. Research analysts expect that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. This is a boost from Mueller Water Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MWA shares. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.20.

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.