Entropy Technologies LP Boosts Stake in Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 173.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,949 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 17,091 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the fourth quarter worth $100,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 434.6% during the third 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 during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 468.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 5,408 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 4,456 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products in the 4th quarter worth about $146,000. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Down 0.3 %

Mueller Water Products stock opened at $26.82 on Wednesday. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.81 and a twelve month high of $28.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $23.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.47. The firm has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, 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 for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Mueller Water Products, Inc. will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mueller Water Products Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 3,556 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.02, for a total transaction of $88,971.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $967,848.66. This represents a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lydia W. Thomas sold 10,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.40, for a total value of $263,300.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 136,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,328,282. This represents a 7.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 98,433 shares of company stock worth $2,494,144 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MWA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. StockNews.com cut Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Mueller Water Products from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mueller Water Products has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.80.

About Mueller Water Products

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.