Stifel Nicolaus Raises Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Price Target to $175.00

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $147.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target indicates a potential downside of 0.38% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Maxim Group raised their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 3rd. Northcoast Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Badger Meter from $151.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Badger Meter stock traded down $2.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $175.66. 249,013 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 180,652. Badger Meter has a 12-month low of $126.66 and a 12-month high of $181.00. The company has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.92, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $150.56.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $196.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $182.25 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 13.16%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Badger Meter will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value of $221,221.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 1,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.23, for a total value of $221,221.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 13,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,096,919.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 194 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.55, for a total transaction of $30,952.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,181,367.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $448,167. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. River Street Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 4.9% in the first quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Badger Meter by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,672 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,183,000 after buying an additional 4,426 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Badger Meter by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 7.8% during the first quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 21,082 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,411,000 after acquiring an additional 1,518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridge City Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 39.6% during the first quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 15,351 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,484,000 after acquiring an additional 4,351 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

About Badger Meter

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.