Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $155.8571.

BMI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Badger Meter from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 price target on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Badger Meter from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th.

Badger Meter Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $124.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $134.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.83. Badger Meter has a twelve month low of $112.09 and a twelve month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%. On average, equities analysts expect that Badger Meter will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, EVP Robert Wrocklage purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $122.35 per share, with a total value of $122,350.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 23,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,853,324.35. The trade was a 4.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Fred J. Begale sold 2,064 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $309,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $456,000. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 6,628 shares of company stock worth $777,128 and have sold 3,841 shares worth $573,746. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Badger Meter by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Badger Meter in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

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.