Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) EVP Robert Wrocklage Acquires 1,000 Shares of Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,000 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $122.35 per share, with a total value of $122,350.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 23,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,853,324.35. This trade represents a 4.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Robert Wrocklage also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, February 9th, Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,650 shares of Badger Meter stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $152.35 per share, for a total transaction of $251,377.50.

Badger Meter Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of BMI opened at $123.07 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.78, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $149.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.93.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter. Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 18.76%. Analysts predict that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Key Headlines Impacting Badger Meter

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several senior insiders bought stock (CEO Kenneth Bockhorst: 2,200 shares at ~$117.53; EVP Robert Wrocklage: 1,000 shares at ~$122.35; VPs Christina Tarantino, Edward Callahan, Richard Htwe also bought), signaling management confidence and providing a near?term positive catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional holders remain active (institutional ownership ~89%) and several funds added to positions last quarter, which can stabilize the float. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s Q1 presentation attributes the shortfall mainly to project timing and one?quarter execution issues — useful context that tempers long?term concerns but doesn’t remove near?term pressure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus remains a “Hold” with an average price target around ~$166 — analysts are mixed, so future revisions will matter. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed estimates (lower revenues/adjusted EPS) and several brokers have trimmed forecasts and models, which is the primary near?term driver of the share weakness. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst actions this week increased downside risk: Maxim downgraded BMI to Hold, Barclays reiterated a Sell/underweight (low target), and RBC, Stifel, R.W. Baird cut expectations — lower targets and weaker coverage can prolong selling pressure. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Active investor?loss litigation notices (Pomerantz, Johnson Fistel) add legal/headline risk that could hurt sentiment until resolved. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BMI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus cut Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Maxim Group lowered shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Institutional Trading of Badger Meter

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,819,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake 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 worth $124,293,000 after purchasing an additional 335,953 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of Badger Meter during the third quarter worth about $45,435,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 39.2% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 212,448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 99.5% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 401,668 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,203,000 after buying an additional 200,330 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

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.