Candriam S.C.A. Has $7.69 Million Stock Position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 30.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 15,696 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $7,685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BMI. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Badger Meter by 2,457.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 179 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 261.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. 89.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BMI. Maxim Group lifted their target price on Badger Meter from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Badger Meter from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.75.

Badger Meter Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:BMI opened at $212.68 on Friday. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.87 and a 12-month high of $239.11. The stock has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a PE ratio of 50.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day moving average of $213.09 and a 200-day moving average of $213.87.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 15.12%. Equities research analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.15%.

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other news, VP Karen M. Bauer sold 1,147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.74, for a total value of $240,571.78. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,076 shares in the company, valued at $1,064,640.24. This trade represents a 18.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP William R. A. Bergum sold 2,416 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.33, for a total value of $508,157.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,986,475.67. This trade represents a 14.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,949 shares of company stock worth $4,398,407. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

About Badger Meter

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.