JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) Price Target to $190.00

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) had its target price cut by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $232.00 to $190.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 29.24% from the stock’s current price.

BMI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 target price (down previously from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a report on Thursday. Barclays set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Badger Meter and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $166.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Badger Meter in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $220.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.89.

Badger Meter Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE BMI opened at $147.01 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $174.76 and a 200-day moving average of $181.96. Badger Meter has a 12 month low of $139.14 and a 12 month high of $256.08. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.91.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $220.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a net margin of 15.45% and a return on equity of 20.71%. Badger Meter’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Badger Meter will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Badger Meter

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Badger Meter in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 328.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $717,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust purchased a new stake in Badger Meter in the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000. Truist Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 4.6% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 24,784 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,071,000 after acquiring an additional 1,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp grew its stake in Badger Meter by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 7,084 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,735,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Badger Meter News

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

About Badger Meter

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.