9,974 Shares in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Bought by Diversify Advisory Services LLC

Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 9,974 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,277,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the second quarter worth $725,926,000. Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at about $14,646,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter valued at about $569,000. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Badger Meter during the second quarter worth about $3,011,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Badger Meter from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Maxim Group cut Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $112.00 price target (up from $109.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $160.00 price objective on Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.00.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward F. Callahan purchased 751 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $101,572.75. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $261,979.25. The trade was a 63.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Up 4.0%

Shares of NYSE:BMI opened at $130.94 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $137.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.33. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.09 and a 52 week high of $204.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.59, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.65.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.03% and a net margin of 14.27%.The business had revenue of $220.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.59 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. This is an increase from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.38%.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a global leader in flow measurement and control solutions. The company’s core business centers on the design, manufacture and sale of water meters, control valves and related accessories for municipal and industrial water utilities. Over its more than a century of operation, Badger Meter has built a reputation for precision engineering, durability and compliance with international regulatory standards.

The company’s product portfolio includes mechanical and ultrasonic water meters, electromagnetic flow meters for industrial applications, and a range of control valves that help utilities manage pressure and flow in distribution networks.