Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Receives $155.86 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $155.8571.

Several equities analysts have commented on BMI shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Badger Meter from $174.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Argus lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Badger Meter from $173.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th.

Badger Meter Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:BMI opened at $118.66 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $143.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $162.56. Badger Meter has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08.

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

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $309,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $456,000. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $122.35 per share, with a total value of $122,350.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have bought 9,928 shares of company stock valued at $1,280,114 and have sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.