Lightrock Netherlands B.V. Invests $9.78 Million in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. purchased a new stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 432,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,780,000. Mueller Water Products makes up about 3.4% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned approximately 0.28% of Mueller Water Products as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 369.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in Mueller Water Products by 361.6% during 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. lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 390,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,467,000 after acquiring an additional 64,399 shares in 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 grew its stake in Mueller Water Products by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 347,199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $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.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

MWA stock opened at $26.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.43. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.81 and a 12 month high of $28.25. The company has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.06. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.067 per share. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is 31.40%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In other Mueller Water Products news, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total transaction of $653,188.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,378 shares in the company, valued at $234,356.22. This trade represents a 73.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 57,948 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.69, for a total transaction of $1,488,684.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 43,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,110,424.56. This represents a 57.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 98,433 shares of company stock valued at $2,494,144. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.