Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $181.8750.

A number of research firms have commented on BMI. Argus downgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 price target (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

Shares of BMI opened at $146.55 on Friday. Badger Meter has a one year low of $139.14 and a one year high of $256.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $158.54 and its 200-day moving average is $172.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.33%.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 3,300 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $152.42 per share, for a total transaction of $502,986.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,098,781.46. This trade represents a 8.99% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,650 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $152.35 per share, with a total value of $251,377.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,977,071.35. This represents a 9.22% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,819,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 89.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 712,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $124,293,000 after acquiring an additional 335,953 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 78.1% during the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 612,809 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $150,108,000 after acquiring an additional 268,799 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the 3rd quarter worth $45,435,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 754,402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $131,592,000 after acquiring an additional 212,448 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.