New York State Common Retirement Fund Cuts Stock Holdings in Mueller Water Products $MWA

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its position in Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) by 16.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 142,110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 27,986 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.09% of Mueller Water Products worth $3,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 131.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its stake in Mueller Water Products by 112.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,294 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 31.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 355.4% in the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 2,218 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products in the second quarter worth approximately $71,000. 91.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

NYSE:MWA opened at $29.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 4.02. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.17. Mueller Water Products has a 52-week low of $22.01 and a 52-week high of $29.24.

Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $318.20 million for 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.25 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MWA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Mueller Water Products from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.00.

Mueller Water Products 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.