Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) had its price target lifted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $27.00 to $29.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 0.58% from the stock’s current price.

Separately, Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MWA opened at $29.17 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.02 and a quick ratio of 2.41. Mueller Water Products has a 12 month low of $22.01 and a 12 month high of $29.24.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $318.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.26 million. Mueller Water Products had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 13.83%.Mueller Water Products’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total transaction of $371,614.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,115,276.54. This trade represents a 14.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy acquired 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.41 per share, with a total value of $27,461.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,549.25. This trade represents a 6.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mueller Water Products

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 25.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,890,000 after acquiring an additional 30,862 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Mueller Water Products by 87.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 122,472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 57,053 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products during the first quarter worth approximately $205,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter valued at $212,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 572,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,558,000 after buying an additional 56,404 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

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.