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

Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.8750.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BMI shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird raised Badger Meter from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $173.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst bought 3,300 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $152.42 per share, for a total transaction of $502,986.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,098,781.46. This represents a 8.99% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kimberly K. Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total transaction of $243,482.34. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,256 shares in the company, valued at $485,176.56. This represents a 33.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,989 shares of company stock valued at $596,002. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Badger Meter by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in Badger Meter by 62.3% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Badger Meter Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of BMI stock opened at $161.09 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $152.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $168.28. Badger Meter has a 52 week low of $139.14 and a 52 week high of $256.08. The stock has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.56, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

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.