Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Stock Price

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) had its price target dropped by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $220.00 to $200.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 36.05% from the company’s current price.

BMI has been the subject of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $165.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 price objective (down previously from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday. Barclays set a $136.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.89.

Badger Meter Price Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $147.01 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $174.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.96. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.91. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $139.14 and a 12 month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.71% and a net margin of 15.45%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Badger Meter will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 328.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust acquired a new stake in Badger Meter in the second quarter valued at $202,000. Truist Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 24,784 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,071,000 after purchasing an additional 1,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 11.5% in the second quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 7,084 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,735,000 after buying an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Badger Meter

Here are the key news stories impacting Badger Meter this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying and valuation argument — Large institutional accumulation and the stock’s 40% decline from highs have pushed some investors to call BMI “deep-value,” highlighting steady free cash flow, dividend support and buybacks that underpin upside potential. MarketBeat: Institutions Buying
• Positive Sentiment: New contract win in Puerto Rico emphasizes smart-water SaaS traction — The Puerto Rico deal reinforces demand for Badger Meter’s smart water offerings and supports recurring revenue arguments used by bulls. Yahoo Finance: Puerto Rico Win
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market activity shows elevated trader interest — Recent options flows signal speculators are positioning for a move (direction ambiguous), which can amplify intraday volatility and attract short-term volume. Zacks: Options Market
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results disappointed on revenue and slightly missed EPS — Q4 revenue came in below consensus despite 7.6% sales growth; the mixed print prompted an initial sell-off and raised short-term growth/forecast scrutiny. Zacks: Q4 Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts trimmed price targets after the quarter — Jefferies lowered its target to $200 (still a Buy) and JPMorgan cut to $190 (still Overweight). Those reductions temper near-term upside expectations even as both firms remain constructive. Benzinga / TickerReport: Analyst Price Target Changes

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.