KBC Group NV Sells 170,632 Shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA)

KBC Group NV lessened its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,375,170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 170,632 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $30,941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Mueller Water Products by 10.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,618,782 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $197,456,000 after acquiring an additional 791,569 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 382.0% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 537,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,665,000 after purchasing an additional 426,038 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,999,869 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,838,000 after purchasing an additional 395,123 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 364.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 401,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,716,000 after purchasing an additional 315,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 787.2% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 248,760 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,458,000 after buying an additional 220,721 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.68% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mueller Water Products news, 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 value of $263,300.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 136,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,328,282. The trade was a 7.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Suzanne G. Smith sold 26,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.99, for a total transaction of $653,188.62. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $234,356.22. The trade was a 73.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 98,433 shares of company stock worth $2,494,144 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Mueller Water Products Price Performance

Shares of MWA opened at $23.15 on Wednesday. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.49 and a fifty-two week high of $26.28. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.17. The stock has a market cap of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 31.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.33.

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

Mueller Water Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Mueller Water Products’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MWA. StockNews.com lowered shares of Mueller Water Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Five equities 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.