Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 7,259 Shares of Badger Meter, Inc. $BMI

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 41.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,934 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 7,259 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.09% of Badger Meter worth $4,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Badger Meter by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in Badger Meter by 62.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new position in Badger Meter during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Badger Meter

In other Badger Meter news, CEO Kenneth Bockhorst acquired 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $117.53 per share, for a total transaction of $258,566.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,480.28. This trade represents a 4.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Htwe acquired 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $116.13 per share, with a total value of $197,421.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 7,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,936.39. This represents a 28.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 6,628 shares of company stock valued at $777,128 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Badger Meter stock opened at $145.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a PE ratio of 32.75, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $129.71 and a 200 day moving average of $146.77. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12 month low of $112.09 and a 12 month high of $249.56.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 14.56%.The business had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Key Stories Impacting Badger Meter

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

• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms highlighted a securities fraud class action against Badger Meter, keeping legal risk in focus and potentially pressuring the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Robbins LLP said a class action has been filed on behalf of BMI investors, adding to the legal overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein Liebhard, the Schall Law Firm, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, Faruqi & Faruqi, Berger Montague, and others repeated the same deadline-driven class-action notice, which reinforces uncertainty but does not add new company fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One note highlighted Badger Meter’s long-term growth potential and a separate Zacks Research upgrade from “strong sell” to “hold,” but these were outweighed by the legal headlines. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BMI. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Badger Meter from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Maxim Group cut shares of Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays set a $110.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Badger Meter from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.