7,944 Shares in Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI Acquired by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,944 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $981,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 212.9% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $126.68 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $130.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.74. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 1 year low of $112.09 and a 1 year high of $204.00.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.03% and a net margin of 14.27%. The business had revenue of $220.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 28th. This is a positive change from Badger Meter’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Badger Meter news, VP Edward Callahan purchased 751 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $101,572.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 1,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $261,979.25. This trade represents a 63.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $172.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Badger Meter from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.38.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc is a water technology company that develops and manufactures flow measurement, control and communications solutions. Its products are used to measure and manage water across municipal, commercial and industrial applications, helping customers improve operational efficiency, monitor usage and support water conservation.

The company’s offerings include mechanical, ultrasonic and electromagnetic flow meters; valves and related flow-control equipment; and smart water technologies.