Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll Sells 143 Shares of Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll sold 143 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.50, for a total value of $20,663.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,073.50. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Badger Meter Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE:BMI opened at $147.11 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.14 and a twelve month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BMI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $165.00 price objective on Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 price target (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 328.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the second quarter worth approximately $390,000. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the second quarter valued at approximately $414,000. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $641,000. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Badger Meter

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.