Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 19,585 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,979,893 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,585 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Badger Meter worth $694,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 521 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 2.4% in the third quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,589 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 6.6% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 486 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE BMI opened at $121.92 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $145.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.76. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.09 and a 52 week high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.68.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%.The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. Research analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Badger Meter news, VP Christina M. Tarantino bought 870 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $113.80 per share, for a total transaction of $99,006.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,953.80. This trade represents a 93.45% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Htwe bought 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have bought 11,578 shares of company stock valued at $1,531,492 and have sold 3,989 shares valued at $596,002. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Barclays set a $110.00 price objective on Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research raised Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Badger Meter 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.