Insider Selling: Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Sells 148 Shares of Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll sold 148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.38, for a total value of $22,256.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 4,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $735,358.20. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BMI traded down $3.52 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $148.68. The company had a trading volume of 606,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,741. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $163.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.43. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a PE ratio of 30.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.87. Badger Meter, Inc. has a one year low of $139.14 and a one year high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.01). Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.71% and a net margin of 15.45%.The company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 148.3% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 48,190 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $11,804,000 after acquiring an additional 28,779 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 70,488 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $12,588,000 after purchasing an additional 8,387 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 330,039 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $58,938,000 after purchasing an additional 100,298 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 85.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 82,568 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $14,745,000 after purchasing an additional 38,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 135,070 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $33,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BMI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

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.