Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Sells $22,256.24 in Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll sold 148 shares of Badger Meter stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.38, for a total value of $22,256.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 4,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $735,358.20. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Badger Meter Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of BMI opened at $146.10 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 30.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.87. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.14 and a 12-month high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.71% and a net margin of 15.45%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BMI. Zacks Research downgraded Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $191.00 target price (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $167.00 target price on shares of Badger Meter in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Badger Meter by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,979,893 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $694,133,000 after purchasing an additional 19,585 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 1.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,462,807 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $358,315,000 after buying an additional 20,122 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Badger Meter by 20.9% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 970,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $173,262,000 after acquiring an additional 168,053 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 876,854 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $152,951,000 after acquiring an additional 4,035 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in Badger Meter by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 754,402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $131,592,000 after acquiring an additional 212,448 shares in 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.