Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases 46,185 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 6,924.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,852 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,185 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $8,171,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Badger Meter by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,979,893 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $694,133,000 after buying an additional 19,585 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,462,807 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $358,315,000 after buying an additional 20,122 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 970,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $173,262,000 after buying an additional 168,053 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 754,402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $131,592,000 after buying an additional 212,448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised 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 buying an additional 335,953 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $117.53 per share, with a total value of $258,566.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,480.28. The trade was a 4.45% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert Wrocklage acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $122.35 per share, for a total transaction of $122,350.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 23,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,853,324.35. This represents a 4.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128 and have sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of BMI opened at $125.75 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $136.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.68. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.09 and a 1-year high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm 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, research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid 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 payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BMI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.